More than half of Home Office staff were working remotely last week, even as the country continues to suffer from a growing migrant crisis.
Only 47 percent of desks were occupied at the headquarters, located in Whitehall, central London.
The Government has long battled civil servants choosing to work from home, rather than traveling to the office, in the wake of the Covid pandemic.
However, critics have said workers must leave the comfort of their homes and return to work in the office, among colleagues.
Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said Sun: ‘The Ministry of the Interior fails to expel illegal immigrants.
“Until it’s successful, maybe it would be helpful for people to come to work instead of sitting idle at home.”
John O’Connell of the Taxpayers Alliance also told the outlet: ‘There are too many empty departments and performance continues to decline.’
Only 47 per cent of desks were occupied at the Home Office headquarters (pictured), which is in Whitehall, central London.
Migrants aboard an RNLI Dover lifeboat on January 31
A group of people believed to be migrants appear on a bus in Dover, Kent, yesterday after being rescued by a Border Force boat.
An order was sent to Whitehall staff last November outlining the benefits of working in the office, detailing aspects such as “collaboration, innovation and fostering a sense of community”.
Late last year, civil servants were ordered to spend 60 percent of their time in the office or on official business, rather than at home.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak believes in the “importance” of face-to-face working for civil servants and the need to make the most of Whitehall office space, Downing Street said.
More than 1,000 migrants crossed the English Channel and arrived in the UK in January, despite the government taking additional measures to discourage crossings by small boats.
Home Office figures show more than 300 people made the trip on January 27 and 28, with 112 recorded on two boats on Saturday and 276 on five boats on Sunday. This brings the provisional total for 2024 to date to 1,057.
The highest number of people crossing in a single day so far this year was 358 on eight boats on January 17.
With figures slightly higher so far in 2024 than at the same time last year, Downing Street said there were “variations” in the number of crossings taking place.
Asked if the Prime Minister was on track to deliver on his promise to “stop the boats”, No 10 said it was “too early to say what the trend will be for this year”.
The Cabinet Office had 89 percent of its desk occupied and the Ministry of Defense had 86 percent of its desk occupied, the outlet reported.
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘The Home Office data only represents staff attending 2 Marsham Street, where less than 10 per cent of Home Office staff are based.
“Our staff work in over 200 locations across the UK, including ports, airports and passport offices protecting our borders and national security.”
