Departments making stretched links between programmes and government ‘missions’ amid fears of budget cuts
Ministers are trying to “mission-wash” every item of spending in their departments, according to officials, before a spending review at which Rachel Reeves has demanded they justify every pound they receive.
Sources have told the Guardian that secretaries of state and their officials are looking for ways to link their spending to one of Labour’s main priorities – growth, net zero, crime, education, immigration and the NHS – in order to avoid sharp budget cuts this summer.
