'No one who’s “world class” at their craft does it for free. More bullshit from Reform.'
Devoid of any real ideas of their own, Reform UK have sought to replicate the Trump administration by establishing a ‘DOGE’ unit and sending it to its first council in a bid to cut down on what it says is wasteful expenditure.
The Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) team will be first sent to Kent County Council, one of the councils the party took control of in May’s local elections.
Reform is seeking to copy what Elon Musk has done in the U.S., in which DOGE was launched during Donald Trump’s presidency to cut federal spending. Billionaire Musk was involved but has since left his position spearheading the unit.
Announcing the formation of the DOGE unit for the councils under its control, Reform Party Chairman Zia Yusuf took to X to announce: “Reform’s UK DOGE has been formed.
“It’s a team of world class software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors, working for free.
“They’ll identify and help eliminate wasteful spending.”
Reform says that a team of software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors will “visit and analyse” local authorities.
The party claims that the unit will use AI, advanced data analysis tools and forensic auditing techniques to “identify wasteful spending and recommend actionable solutions” as it reviews the financial management and procurement activity of councils it controls.
However, it was brutally mocked for its announcement, not least of all because its US equivalent has been deemed as a failure by many.
It caused turmoil in the US after firing thousands of federal workers and was hit by a number of scandals. In one such incident, the administration scrambled to hire back probationary employees let go from the agency overseeing nuclear weapons.
Doge’s public-facing website detailing its cuts became known for errors, but currently says it has only saved $175bn – much less than Musk’s goal which was around $1tn.
Reacting to news of Reform’s DOGE unit, one social media user wrote: “Let me put it to you very clearly:
“No one who’s “world class” at their craft does it for free.
“More bullshit from Reform.”
Others expressed alarm at the idea of council’s having to hand over sensitive and confidential data on services and residents to a team of private consultants from Reform’s DOGE unit. One worried person wrote on X: “Reform voters, you really don’t understand how much damage you are doing to the future of our country giving all our private data, financials etc to private firms.
“It’s going to be so so damaging in the long run.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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