A senior civil servant exploited work-from-home policies to fraudulently hold three full-time Government jobs at the same time.
Cabinet Office documents reveal the individual, who remains unnamed, worked for both the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).
The deception continued undetected for at least two years between 2022 and 2024 – and was only uncovered when a Government fraud squad intervened.
The civil servant held three jobs concurrently on two separate occasions during this period, and managed to avoid being spotted by falsifying their employment history details.
A senior civil servant exploited work-from-home policies to fraudulently hold three full-time Government jobs at the same time
GETTY
In a further twist, the individual held higher security clearances in two Government departments at the same time.
The case, first reported by the i newspaper, has raised serious concerns about oversight in Britain’s Civil Service while employees are allowed to work from home.
It came to light as part of a National Fraud Initiative (NFI) report – which warned that remote working has created new vulnerabilities.
“There is even more opportunity for individuals to commit fraud by gaining employment with several local authorities at the same time but failing to fulfil all of the roles,” the report said.
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The fraudster held higher security clearances in two Government departments at the same time
PA
It also labelled working from home “an emerging risk area following changes to working practices since Covid-19, where many organisations now allow staff to work remotely or on a hybrid basis as normal operating procedures”.
“There is even more opportunity for individuals to commit fraud by gaining employment with several local authorities at the same time but failing to fulfil all of the roles,” the report warned.
A Defra spokesman confirmed: “We concluded that by taking part in the NFI, Defra was able to find and stop this simultaneous employment.”
Following their discovery, the civil servant was dismissed from Defra – as well as the two other roles.
Civil servants are currently expected to spend at least 60 per cent of their working week in a Government building or on official business – a requirement which was reaffirmed by Labour back in October.
Ed Miliband’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero returned the highest office-working rates on Whitehall
PA
But further Cabinet Office data reveals that just half of Whitehall departments met this target at the end of last year.
Defra employees were in the office just 46 per cent of the time in December.
Civil servants in the Department for Work and Pensions, which leads the Government’s “back-to-work” drive, were present just 48 per cent of the time.
Treasury staff attendance was similarly low at 49 per cent in December.
However, Ed Miliband’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero returned the highest office-working rates on Whitehall, nearing 100 per cent attendance in October and November.