HMRC's £500,000 Video Interview Blunder: Taxpayers Foot the Bill for Needless Tech Waste

 

In an era where every penny counts amid soaring living costs and squeezed public finances, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is once again under fire for what can only be described as a monumental squander of taxpayer money. The tax authority has unveiled plans to splash out nearly £500,000 on a fancy digital platform for pre-recorded video interviews in its recruitment drive. Yes, you read that right—half a million quid for a tool that lets job hopefuls hit "record" from their living rooms. As HMRC grapples with backlogs and public distrust, this procurement reeks of bureaucratic excess. In this deep dive, we eviscerate HMRC's latest IT folly, exposing why it's a colossal waste and how it fits into the agency's sorry history of digital disasters.

What Exactly is HMRC's Video Interview Platform Plan?

Picture this: You're applying for a desk job at HMRC, and instead of a quick Zoom chat, you're funnelled into a bespoke system where you pre-record answers to scripted questions. That's the gist of HMRC's shiny new procurement notice, published on October 7, 2025, via the UK government's Find a Tender service. The contract? A three-year deal kicking off March 1, 2026, and running until February 28, 2029, with an estimated value of £450,000 (excluding VAT)—that's £540,000 including the dreaded tax on top.

The platform promises a laundry list of features: creating and distributing pre-recorded interview questions, secure candidate recording, user-friendly interfaces for everyone from recruiters to applicants, template management, invitation tracking, progress monitoring, and slick reporting tools. It must be "resilient, scalable, and adaptable" for multiple campaigns, all while ticking boxes for security, accessibility, and data protection under UK laws. HMRC is running this through a Competitive Flexible Procedure on their SAP Ariba portal, with bids opening next month and a decision by February 2026.

On paper, it sounds innovative. In reality? It's a gold-plated gimmick when free tools like Microsoft Teams or Google Meet could handle 90% of this for peanuts. Why fork out half a million when off-the-shelf solutions exist? This isn't rocket science—it's recruitment basics dressed up as cutting-edge tech, all at the expense of the very taxpayers HMRC is meant to serve.

The Shocking Cost Breakdown: Half a Million for What?

Let's break down this eye-watering spend. Over three years, that's roughly £150,000 annually for a system that's essentially a glorified video uploader with admin bells and whistles. HMRC admits the figure is an "estimate" based on "programme delivery," but history tells us these numbers balloon. Remember, this is public money—your income tax, VAT on your groceries, National Insurance from your paycheque—diverted to a vendor who'll pocket the lot for software that's already commoditised.

Critics are piling on, calling it tone-deaf. With HMRC facing a £1.6 billion shortfall in digital modernisation funding as per the latest Spending Review, prioritising a recruitment toy over core services like timely tax refunds or fraud crackdowns is baffling. And let's not forget the opportunity cost: That £500k could fund thousands of hours of staff training or bolster understaffed helplines drowning in calls.

Why This is Peak Bureaucratic Waste: Free Alternatives Abound

Here's the evisceration: This procurement isn't just expensive—it's embarrassingly redundant. Platforms like HireVue, Spark Hire, or even free tiers of Vidyard offer pre-recorded video interviewing out of the box, often for under £10,000 a year for mid-sized orgs. HMRC could integrate these with existing tools like their SAP ecosystem without a custom build. Need templates and tracking? Excel and Google Forms handle that for zero cost.

HMRC's insistence on a "tailor-made" solution smacks of the classic public sector trap: Over-specifying requirements to justify the spend, then watching costs spiral. Security and accessibility? Vital, sure—but these are standard in modern SaaS tools, compliant with GDPR and WCAG without needing a bespoke £450k overhaul. It's as if HMRC recruiters can't be trusted with a webcam unless it's wrapped in proprietary code. This isn't innovation; it's inertia, propping up consultants and vendors while applicants fiddle with glitchy uploads on their smartphones.

In a post-pandemic world where remote interviews are the norm, HMRC's move feels like reinventing the wheel with taxpayer grease. Small businesses and startups manage this daily without breaking the bank—why can't the UK's tax giant?

HMRC's Hall of Shame: A Legacy of IT Catastrophes

This video platform isn't an isolated blunder; it's the latest chapter in HMRC's epic saga of IT failures and wasteful spending. Take Making Tax Digital (MTD), the flagship digital tax overhaul launched in 2016. Billed at £226 million, it ballooned to over £1.3 billion by 2023, plagued by delays, bugs, and "making tax difficult" for small businesses, as slammed by Parliament's Public Accounts Committee. Businesses wasted hours on faulty software, while HMRC's own systems crumbled under the load.

Flash back to 2012: HMRC's £1 billion Connect tax fraud detection project missed "virtually all delivery dates," per a National Audit Office report, wasting millions on vapourware that barely dented evasion. Fast-forward to legacy IT woes—HMRC still burns cash maintaining dinosaur systems, with COVID-era extras alone hitting £53 million in 2020. And don't get us started on the shared services fiasco, rated "red" by watchdogs for budget blowouts and unachievable goals.

These aren't one-offs. Whitehall's IT graveyard is littered with HMRC's corpses: Overspends, under-deliveries, and a culture that rewards failure with more funding. The 2025 Spending Review tossed another £1.6 billion at HMRC's digital desk, yet here we are, £500k lighter on recruitment gimmicks. It's a vicious cycle: Promise transformation, deliver trash, rinse, repeat—all on the public's dime.

The Real Victims: Hardworking Taxpayers Bearing the Brunt

Every pound HMRC wastes is a pound stolen from essential services. That £500k could hire 10 full-time advisors to clear the 8 million-case backlog, or fund anti-fraud tech that actually works. Instead, it's funnelled to a vendor for a platform few will use efficiently. Public trust in HMRC is already in the toilet—accusations of "degrading services as policy" abound, with helplines slashed and digital mandates alienating vulnerable taxpayers.

This isn't abstract; it's personal. Families struggling with energy bills see their taxes vanish into bureaucratic black holes, widening inequality while HMRC pats itself on the back for "modernisation." In an age of austerity for the masses, such profligacy demands outrage.

Time to Hold HMRC Accountable: Demand Better from Your Tax Watchdog

HMRC's £500,000 video interview splurge is the poster child for government waste: Unnecessary, overpriced, and insultingly out of touch. As bids roll in next month, it's imperative MPs, watchdogs, and taxpayers raise hell. Petition your MP, bombard the National Audit Office, and amplify this scandal—because silence equals complicity.

Enough is enough. HMRC exists to collect taxes efficiently, not squander them on shiny distractions. Until accountability reigns, every procurement notice is a potential heist. Stay vigilant, Britain—your money depends on it.

Tax does have to be taxing.



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

HMRC's Shocking 7-Month A1 Certificate Backlog: Equity's Scathing Rebuke Exposes Bureaucratic Chaos

 

In a damning indictment of government inefficiency, the UK's leading performers' union, Equity, has fired off a blistering letter to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on October 10, 2025, demanding immediate action on a crippling seven-month backlog in A1 certificate processing. This administrative apocalypse is not just red tape run amok—it's a direct assault on the livelihoods of thousands of British creatives, from singers and dancers to theatre directors, forcing them into financial freefall and jeopardising the UK's £41.4 billion creative export industry. As UK workers scramble for overseas gigs in a post-Brexit world, HMRC's glacial pace is turning dreams into nightmares. How did a system meant to facilitate temporary work abroad devolve into this farce?

What Are A1 Certificates? The Essential Passport for UK Workers Abroad

For the uninitiated, A1 certificates are the golden ticket for British employees and self-employed professionals heading to the EU, EEA, or Switzerland for short stints. These vital documents confirm that social security contributions are being paid in the UK, shielding workers from double taxation and ensuring compliance with host country rules. Without an A1, you can't legally work temporarily overseas—full stop. HMRC's official targets? A breezy 15 working days for online applications and 40 for postal ones. Sounds straightforward, right? In reality, it's a bureaucratic black hole sucking in applications and spitting out despair.

The HMRC A1 Backlog Scandal: Seven Months of Inexcusable Delay

Fast-forward to October 2025, and HMRC's "check when you can expect a reply" service brazenly advertises a seven-month wait for new A1 requests. That's not a minor hiccup—it's a full-blown crisis that's been brewing for months, with reports of delays stretching back to early 2025. Equity, representing 50,000 performers and creatives, isn't mincing words: this backlog is "unacceptable," leaving members in "desperation" as they chase phantom responses through endless phone queues.

Why the paralysis? HMRC offers no coherent explanation, but patterns emerge from a trail of taxpayer tears. Musicians touring Europe face payment holds of months, retirees plotting sun-soaked escapes watch pensions evaporate in limbo, and expats renewing visas teeter on deportation's edge. This isn't isolated—it's symptomatic of HMRC's chronic understaffing and outdated systems, a post-Brexit hangover where the promise of "frictionless" trade dissolved into friction-filled fury. While the taxman rakes in billions, he's strangling the very workers who fuel the economy.

Heartbreaking Impacts: How HMRC's Neglect Is Crushing UK Creatives

The human cost of HMRC's A1 certificate delays is gut-wrenching. Equity members, often piecing together freelance gigs across borders, report overseas work evaporating overnight without this paperwork. Payments? Delayed indefinitely, plunging families into debt and despair.

Take one harrowing case spotlighted by Equity: A performer on an overseas tour had wages withheld from January to April 2025—four months of earned income vanished into the void, leaving him with zero other earnings and spiralling into "serious financial hardship." Multiply that agony by thousands: dancers sidelined from EU festivals, singers ghosted by Swiss productions, directors watching career-defining tours collapse. "International work is a vital component of many of our members’ livelihoods," blasts an Equity spokesperson, "and frictionless movement is absolutely essential... We are calling for urgent action to address the serious backlog."

Beyond performers, the ripple effects are seismic. Retirees dreaming of Continental bliss find their golden years tarnished by HMRC's "delays... sending my retirement up in flames." Expats and musicians alike are "stuck in limbo," their escapes from Britain's grey skies hijacked by paperwork purgatory. In a sector that punched £41.4 billion into UK exports in 2020 alone—14.2% of service trade—HMRC's incompetence isn't just sloppy; it's economic sabotage.

Equity's Explosive Letter: Demanding Accountability from HMRC

Equity's October 10 missive to HMRC's Jim Marks CB is a masterclass in controlled fury. Penned by General Secretary Paul W. Fleming, it lays bare the betrayal: "There is currently a significant backlog of unprocessed applications causing unacceptable delays... impacting their ability to accept and undertake the work they rely on, and causing serious financial hardship."

Fleming doesn't stop at outrage—he demands answers:

• Why the processing time is so long? (Hint: Not enough staff, antiquated tech?)
• When will additional resources be put in place? (Yesterday would be nice.)
• What will be done to prioritise urgent applications? (Because "wait it out" isn't cutting it amid phone lines that rival the M25 at rush hour.)

This isn't Equity's first rodeo; past pleas for NICs certificates fell on deaf ears. HMRC's silence? Deafening. It's time for heads to roll—or at least for the backlog to be bulldozed.

The Bigger Picture: HMRC's A1 Delays as Post-Brexit Betrayal

Zoom out, and this A1 fiasco epitomises HMRC's post-Brexit bungling. Promised as a seamless bridge to Europe, the system has instead become a moat of misery, deterring talent from borders and bloating Britain's brain drain. While ministers pat themselves on the back for "restoring control," workers flee to freer shores only to be shackled by Whitehall's whims. Creatives, who amplify Britain's soft power worldwide, deserve better than this slapdash service. Until fixed, it's a stark signal: Innovate here, emigrate elsewhere.

Time for Action: How to Fight Back Against HMRC's A1 Nightmare

Equity isn't waiting for miracles—they're mobilising. Urge your MP to hammer HMRC via Equity's campaign at equity.eaction.org.uk/write-to-MP-A1-certificate-backlog. Affected? Document your ordeal and flood HMRC's helpline (0300 200 3500) with demands for priority processing. Share your story on social media with #FixHM RCA1Backlog to amplify the chorus.

HMRC, your seven-month A1 certificate delays aren't a glitch—they're a grievous failure. Equity's call echoes what every beleaguered worker knows: Fix this now, or watch the UK's creative spark flicker out. The clock's ticking—will you finally listen?

Tax does have to be taxing.



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

HMRC's VAT Catastrophe: How the UK's Tax Giant Botched £2 Billion in Receipts and Screwed the Economy

 

In the annals of bureaucratic bungles, few rival the sheer incompetence on display from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) this October 2025. The tax authority—tasked with collecting the lifeblood of UK public finances—has admitted to a glaring error in its VAT cash receipts data, forcing the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to slash public sector net borrowing estimates by a whopping £2 billion for April to August. This isn't some arcane glitch in a back-office spreadsheet; it's a fundamental failure in tracking one of the government's biggest revenue streams, leaving Chancellor Rachel Reeves with an unexpected £3 billion Budget boost while the rest of us foot the bill for HMRC's slapdash stewardship. As searches for "HMRC VAT error 2025" skyrocket, one burning question echoes: How the hell did they get this so catastrophically wrong?

Unpacking the VAT Vortex: HMRC's £2 Billion Omission That Shook the Fiscal Foundations

At its core, VAT is HMRC's crown jewel—raking in tens of billions annually from everyday transactions. Yet, in a display of jaw-dropping oversight, the agency omitted entire "payment streams" from its data processing when supplying figures to the ONS. This understatement inflated borrowing projections from £83.8 billion to a revised £81.8 billion for the fiscal year to date, with ripple effects slashing the full-year estimate by another £1 billion. The error, which HMRC itself flagged as impacting "provisional 2025 to 2026 year-to-date receipts," wasn't caught until months into the year, despite VAT being a monthly reporting staple.

How does this even happen? HMRC's data pipelines, meant to be ironclad fortresses of fiscal accuracy, apparently skipped basic reconciliation checks on payment inflows—streams that could include deferred payments, adjustments, or even routine refunds. It's as if the folks at No. 1 Horse Guards Road forgot to tally a chunk of the nation's shopping bills. The ONS, reliant on these inputs, couldn't independently verify them, exposing a toxic dependency where one agency's sloppiness poisons the entire statistical ecosystem. For investors googling "UK borrowing VAT mistake," the fallout is immediate: spooked markets, volatile gilts, and a Budget narrative flipped on its head. Reeves now has extra fiscal headroom, but at what cost to credibility?

2025: HMRC's Parade of Perils – From Phishing Fiascos to Data Thefts

This VAT debacle isn't HMRC's solo act in a year of self-inflicted wounds; it's the headliner in a circus of scandals that scream systemic rot. Since January, the tax authority has been a punchline for incompetence, with errors and breaches piling up like unfiled returns.

• Phishing Plague Hits 100,000 Accounts: In June, cybercriminals exploited weak safeguards to breach over 100,000 taxpayer accounts, siphoning £47 million in fraudulent repayments. HMRC's response? A mea culpa to MPs, but no heads rolled as scammers ran rampant.

• Insider Data Heists: By August, dozens of HMRC staff were sacked for illegally snooping on taxpayer records, turning the agency's own vaults into a sieve of privacy violations.

• R&D Fraud Fumble: Efforts to curb errors in Research & Development tax reliefs faltered, with fraud and error rates hovering at 5.9%—that's £481 million flushed down the drain in 2024-25 alone, and 2025 shows no turnaround.

Add cyber attacks that weren't "purely technical" failures but symptoms of deeper cultural lapses, and you've got an HMRC that's less guardian of the purse and more a black hole for trust. Tax cheats are "running circles" around them, per critics, with massive operational black holes unplugged despite billions in tech investments. In this context, omitting VAT payment streams isn't a "whoops"—it's par for the course in an agency that's allergic to accountability.

Zero Consequences, Endless Excuses: Why HMRC's Clowns Keep Juggling the Nation's Finances

Predictably, no one's getting the boot over this £2 billion bombshell. HMRC's chief executive faced Treasury Committee grillings in June over customer service blackouts and that phishing fiasco, yet the revolving door of reviews spins on without a single high-level scalp. The ONS praised HMRC for "timely" disclosure, but that's cold comfort when the error stemmed from their own processing pitfalls. Where's the internal audit that should've flagged this months ago? The firings for data prying? Sure, low-level staff got the chop, but the architects of these systemic fails? Untouched, sipping tea while the economy reels.

This impunity isn't just infuriating—it's a green light for more mayhem. With anticipated compliance crackdowns looming by January 2025 on digital platforms, how can anyone trust HMRC to wield new data powers without botching them too?

Beyond Useless: HMRC's Toxic Data Poisons Policy, Markets, and Your Wallet

Let's be brutally clear: HMRC's outputs aren't flawed—they're fiscal poison. This VAT error didn't just revise numbers; it misled the Bank of England on inflation pressures, jacked up borrowing costs for households, and handed tax dodgers a smokescreen amid the chaos. Worse than worthless because it actively harms: £6 billion annual black holes from fraud could be plugged with better analytics, yet HMRC lags while DWP saves millions on Universal Credit scrutiny.

For businesses hunting "HMRC data reliability 2025," the verdict is damning: distorted receipts skew VAT forecasts, hobble cash flow planning, and amplify economic whiplash. Globally, IMF projections wobble on these shaky pillars, dragging UK growth estimates into the gutter.

Overhaul or Oblivion: It's Time to Gut HMRC's Broken Machine

HMRC's 2025 implosion demands a reckoning, not more handshakes with the ONS. Pump in AI-driven fraud-spotting? Fine, but link funding to zero-tolerance accuracy KPIs. Enforce real-time audits on core streams like VAT? Mandatory. And accountability? Start with sackings at the top—because if they can't tally taxes, what can they do?

Until then, scepticism is your shield. The VAT vortex is today's outrage; tomorrow's could bankrupt us all. For unvarnished UK tax truths, ditch the official fog—because HMRC's house of horrors has no exit.

Tax does have to be taxing.



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Digital ID Cards in the UK: How HMRC's £600m Tax Grab Could Erode Your Privacy

 

In an era where digital convenience is king, the UK government is pushing forward with a new digital ID scheme that promises streamlined services but raises alarming red flags for privacy advocates. Announced in late September 2025, this initiative could hand HMRC an extra £600 million in tax revenue annually—framed as a win against unpaid taxes and human error. But beneath the shiny veneer of efficiency lies a potential "tax grab" that could transform everyday Brits into unwitting surveillance subjects. If you're concerned about government overreach, data breaches, or the slow creep of mandatory tracking, this is your wake-up call. In this article, we'll unpack the scheme, spotlight the risks, and explore why your digital footprint might soon be worth £600 million to the Treasury.

What Is the UK's New Digital ID Scheme?

The government's digital ID rollout, unveiled on September 26, 2025, aims to create a unified online identification system across public services. At its core, it's a digital wallet-like tool that verifies your identity using biometrics, facial recognition, or secure apps, making it easier to access everything from tax filings to welfare benefits.

HMRC is at the forefront, integrating this tech into its "Transformation Roadmap" to automate tax returns. By linking your digital ID to existing government databases, the system would auto-fill sections of your Self Assessment form with data on income, offshore assets, and more. The goal? Clamp down on errors that cost the Treasury billions and chase down £600 million in "lost" revenue from compliance gaps, like under-reported offshore earnings.

Proponents, including the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), hail it as a "smarter state" that knows when to help without you lifting a finger. A government spokesman echoed this, stating digital IDs will "support people to access the services they're entitled to and tackle illegal working." Yet, while the scheme isn't mandatory for daily carry, it becomes compulsory for anyone seeking work or certain benefits—effectively tying your livelihood to a government-issued digital leash.

The £600m Tax Grab: Efficiency or Exploitation?

Let's break down the numbers. The TBI estimates that beefed-up data sharing via digital IDs could net HMRC an additional £600 million yearly by plugging holes in tax compliance. This figure stems from better verification of identities used in dodgy right-to-work checks, where expired or fake National Insurance numbers let people dodge taxes. Broader projections from the same think tank suggest up to £2 billion in total public finance gains.

HMRC's pitch is seductive: fewer mistakes mean fairer taxes for everyone, and automated filings save you time. Jo Puddick, TBI's director of political insight, co-authored reports emphasizing how this tech targets "under-taxed offshore income" without harassing honest filers. With setup costs at £1 billion and £100 million annually to run, any windfall would supposedly fund public services.

But here's the warning bell: this isn't just about efficiency—it's a revenue raid dressed as progress. Critics argue it's a stealthy way to squeeze more from everyday taxpayers while the ultra-wealthy slip through cracks. As one GB News audience member put it during a live debate, digital IDs feel like "a prison for society." And with public support plummeting to just 14% post-announcement—from 35% in summer—it's clear many Brits smell a rat.

Privacy Nightmares: Why Digital IDs Spell Surveillance Hell

The real danger isn't the £600 million—it's what comes with it. Handing HMRC a golden key to your digital life opens the floodgates for mass surveillance. Imagine every transaction, job application, and benefit claim cross-referenced in real-time against a central database. One glitch, hack, or policy shift, and your data becomes a weapon.

• Data Breach Risks: We've seen it before—Equifax, TalkTalk. A centralised ID system is a hacker's dream, potentially exposing millions to identity theft. Over two million elderly Brits could be locked out entirely, widening the digital divide.

• Government Overreach and Mission Creep: What starts as tax checks could expand to track your carbon footprint, social media rants, or even political donations. Big Brother Watch slammed it as a "sprawling surveillance system that is frankly chilling," evoking a "social credit model that would make Orwell blush."

• Loss of Anonymity: No more filing taxes under the radar for self-employed freelancers or gig workers. Every error flagged instantly means audits on steroids, with low-income families hit hardest by automated penalties.

A petition against mandatory IDs has surged past 2.6 million signatures, fuelled by fears from opposition parties like the Conservatives and Reform UK. Even BBC reports highlight how the scheme, while not "carried day-to-day," mandates it for work—blurring lines between voluntary and enforced.

The Pros: A Quick Reality Check

To be fair, not everything's doom and gloom. Digital IDs could slash illegal working by verifying identities swiftly, and auto-filling forms might prevent honest mistakes that trigger fines. For small businesses, integrating with tax services could mean less paperwork and faster refunds. But these upsides pale against the existential threats to civil liberties—especially when safeguards feel like afterthoughts in a public consultation.

How to Protect Yourself from the Digital ID Onslaught

Don't just scroll past—act now. Here's your action plan:

1. Sign the Petition: Join the 2.6 million voices at change.org opposing mandatory IDs.

2. Opt for Paper Filings: Until forced, stick to analogue tax returns to minimise your digital trail.

3. Boost Privacy Hygiene: Use VPNs, encrypted apps, and limit data sharing with government portals.

4. Stay Informed: Follow updates from privacy groups like Big Brother Watch and engage in the upcoming consultation.

5. Vote with Your Wallet: Support MPs who prioritise data rights over revenue grabs.

Final Thoughts: Don't Let £600m Buy Your Freedom

HMRC's digital ID push might promise a frictionless future, but at what cost? This £600m tax grab isn't just about unpaid revenue—it's a Trojan horse for unprecedented control. As polling shows support cratering, it's time for Brits to demand transparency, ironclad protections, and alternatives that don't sacrifice privacy on the altar of efficiency. Share this article, spark the debate, and let's ensure our digital IDs serve us—not surveil us. What do you think—convenience or catastrophe? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.

Tax does have to be taxing.


HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

HMRC's Woke Meltdown: 'Guilt of Being British' Seminar Banned – Taxpayers Finally Saved from Civil Service Nonsense

 

In a rare victory for common sense and taxpayer sanity, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has been slapped with new guidance banning "nonsense" civil servant network events during work hours. This crackdown comes hot on the heels of a jaw-dropping seminar titled Guilt of Being British: Listening Circle, organised by the HMRC Race Network – an event that had staff pondering the "emotional complexity" of national identity while clocked in and billing the public purse. If you're fed up with woke civil service excesses, this is the story of how absurdity finally met its match, but not without leaving a trail of wasted hours and eye-rolls in its wake.

The Absurdity of HMRC's 'Guilt Trip' Seminar: A Deep Dive into Diversity Gone Mad

Picture this: It's a balmy summer day in 2025, and instead of chasing tax evaders or processing refunds, HMRC employees are logging into a one-hour virtual session to unpack the "guilt, pride, and identity" tied to being British. Billed as a "powerful" listening circle by the Race Network, this wasn't some optional after-hours therapy sesh – it was squarely during work time, with remote access for maximum participation. Attendees were encouraged to reflect on the "emotional complexity of being South Asian and British," turning a government tax office into a impromptu colonialism confessional.

Critics didn't hold back, branding it pure "nonsense" that reeks of performative wokeness. And they're spot on. In an organisation already plagued by backlogs – think delayed refunds and creaking helplines – diverting staff to navel-gaze about national guilt isn't just tone-deaf; it's a slap in the face to every hardworking Brit footing the bill. HMRC, tasked with collecting £800 billion annually, somehow found bandwidth for this? It's the kind of bureaucratic bloat that makes you wonder if the real tax dodge is the civil service's grip on reality.

This wasn't a one-off either. Past events have veered into veganism advocacy and flexible working pep talks, all under the guise of "inclusion" networks. One can only imagine the productivity dip: hours lost to seminars that sound more like a bad TED Talk than essential public service. Small wonder public trust in HMRC is at rock bottom – when your tax collector prioritises identity politics over invoices, something's rotten in the Revenue.

Why This Ban on Civil Servant Network Events is Long Overdue – But Is It Enough?

Fast-forward to September 2025, and the powers-that-be have finally pulled the plug. New directives explicitly veto "nonsense" gatherings during office hours, ensuring that diversity drives, guilt circles, and vegan vigils stay out of the taxpayer-funded calendar. The Telegraph reports that future HMRC Race Network events have been canned in response, a direct fallout from the British guilt fiasco.

Hallelujah? Sort of. This ban is a welcome gut-punch to the civil service's DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) obsession, which has ballooned into a multi-million-pound industry of consultants, trainings, and endless committees. But let's not pop the champagne just yet. HMRC confirmed the seminar happened, yet it took public outrage – amplified by outlets like LBC and the Daily Mail – to force a rethink. Where was the oversight before staff were guilt-tripped on the clock?

And here's the kicker: These networks aren't vanishing; they're just shifting to lunch breaks or after hours. Fine, you say? Not if it means volunteers – often from underrepresented groups – shoulder the load outside paid time, turning "inclusion" into unpaid labour. HMRC's half-measure reeks of damage control, not genuine reform. Taxpayers deserve better than a band-aid on a bullet wound.

Broader Civil Service Wokeness: HMRC's Not Alone in the Madness

HMRC's saga is just the tip of the iceberg in a civil service drowning in ideological quicksand. From "decolonising" curricula in government departments to mandatory pronoun workshops, the UK's public sector has morphed into a petri dish for progressive experiments – all while services crumble. Remember the vegan days pushed in other agencies? Or the endless flexible working seminars that ignore frontline realities?

This isn't harmless fluff; it's corrosive. It alienates talent, erodes morale, and – crucially – costs a fortune. With civil service headcount swelling to over 500,000 and budgets ballooning, every hour on "Guilt of Being British" is a direct hit to efficiency. No wonder productivity lags: When your day job includes soul-searching about empire, who has time for actual work?

The backlash has been swift and savage, with social media ablaze – Reddit threads calling it "peak civil service idiocy" and X (formerly Twitter) users demanding heads roll. Politicians from across the aisle have piled on, questioning why public funds fuel such frivolity. It's a wake-up call: Time to audit these networks, cap their budgets, and refocus on core duties like, oh, collecting taxes without the therapy session.

Time for Real Accountability: End the Woke Civil Servant Circus Once and For All

HMRC's ban on network events during work hours is a step forward, but it's baby steps in a marathon of mismanagement. The Guilt of Being British seminar wasn't just embarrassing – it was emblematic of a civil service lost in its own echo chamber, prioritising feelings over fiscal responsibility. Taxpayers, who've endured years of this nonsense, now have a blueprint for demanding more: Scrutinise every "inclusion" initiative, measure its ROI (spoiler: it's often zero), and put productivity first.

If HMRC wants to rebuild trust, start by ditching the guilt trips and getting back to basics. No more seminars on British shame – unless they're about shaming the waste. Britain's public servants serve the public, not some abstract DEI deity. Let's hope this ban is the beginning of the end for civil service wokeness, not just a pause in the pandering.

What do you think – is HMRC's crackdown genuine reform or PR spin? Share your thoughts in the comments below. 

Tax does have to be taxing.



HMRC Is Shite (www.hmrcisshite.com), also available via the domain www.hmrconline.com, is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

EDI FOI - The Truth Shall Set You Free

 

My thanks to a loyal reader who has pointed me to an FOI request about EDI in HMRC, that seems to be being ignored by HMRC.

"Dear HM Revenue and Customs,

Please provide documentary evidence of the process in place at 1/8/2025 to ensure the appropriateness of presentations, learning, etc run under the EDI banner. For example to ensure the presentations complied with government guidance.

Please provide documentary evidence of the role the central EDI Team had in ensuring EDI events across HMRC complied with the Civil Service Expenditure and Impartiality Guidance.

Please provide numbers and associated staff costs of attendees at EDI events run from 1/1/25 to 30/4/25.

Please also provide details of the salary of the EDI Team for the same period.

Yours faithfully,"

Quite why HMRC is avoiding answering this is unclear. 

Tax does have to be taxing.



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