‘Doge of the left’ could save UK taxpayers up to £30bn, says new green thinktank
A “Doge of the left,” could save up to £30bn a year for taxpayers by rooting out waste, fraud and tax avoidance, according to the first report from a new green thinktank,Launched amid growing interest in the future manifesto of Zack Polanksi’s Green party, the Verdant thinktank will be co-chaired by James Meadway, a former adviser to Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell, and civil society campaigner Deborah Doane,In its first report, the new group argues that a crackdown on waste, rather than the ideologically driven approach of Elon Musk’s former Doge – Department of Government Efficiency – in the US, could free up significant resources,“The political right have monopolised the discussion about savings in government spending, to disastrous effect,” said Meadway,“Breaking the false economies of Treasury thinking and vested Whitehall interests are an essential.
A ‘Doge of the left’ would rinse out the tax avoiders, the profiteers and the fraudsters, and help deliver the high quality public services we deserve.”Doge, in the US, which was run by Tesla’s billionaire boss, took the axe to the US development agency, and slashed projects seen as “woke”, but the savings made fell far short of Musk’s aspiration of $2tn.Verdant says its ideas could be adopted by any political party, but with Polanski’s Greens drawing ahead of Labour in some polls, the thinktank appears keen to influence the party’s future manifesto.Keeping a firm hand on the purse strings could be an asset for a Green party likely to face tough scrutiny from the bond markets, given the size of the UK’s national debt.Verdant says the UK should echo the approach of the New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani, by appointing a “chief savings officer”, who could hunt out waste and fraud, instead of leaving the details of departmental budgets to be fought out solely in spending review negotiations with the Treasury.
The report calls for the National Audit Office (NAO), which scrutinises public spending projects, to be given the power to halt those that are hopelessly overspending; while public procurement, including for notoriously costly defence projects, would be opened up to more transparent competition,And it suggests an internal consultancy function, working in a similar way as the existing Government Digital Service, could take on many of the projects now outsourced to costly private consultants,The ambitious £30bn in savings mooted by the thinktank is largely made up of independent estimates of the amount lost to the taxpayer each year through fraud, waste, under-collection of tax, and lack of competition in procurement,Verdant also says tax reliefs and other government support for oil and gas producers, worth £3,6bn a year, should be scrapped.
“At a time of rising fossil fuel prices globally, there is little to no justification for lavish expenditures on socially harmful production of this kind,” it says.Polanski, who leads the Greens in England and Wales (the Scottish party is distinct) gave his first big speech on economic policy last week at a north London garden centre, hosted by the leftwing New Economics Foundation.He promised sweeping changes, including caps on rents and a new wealth tax.In contrast to Rachel Reeves’s approach, he also said a Green government would spend £8bn protecting all consumers, even the wealthy, from rising energy prices as a result of the Iran war.Polanski expressed scepticism about GDP as a measure of the economy’s performance and insisted, contrary to Labour’s approach, that increasing economic growth should not be the government’s main aim, or “mission”.
“Actually, I’m much more interested in growing people’s mental health, growing our public services, growing cohesion in our communities,” he said,
Spring’s bounty: what to sow, plant, prune, harvest and eat
ElderflowerPick on the sunniest May days, when their scent is heady and sweet, to infuse for cordial. For a truly special tipple, pour a litre of gin into a large, shallow dish, and stand as many elderflower heads, florets down, as fit for two hours. Drain, bottle, and enjoy with tonic and ice on a warm evening.RhubarbThe world’s finest rhubarb comes from a few square miles of Yorkshire thanks to a combination of climate, soil and culture. A delicious treat for the freshest stalks: dip raw in the syrup of a jar of stem ginger and nibble
‘I’d smoke Biscoff if I could’: how a little Belgian biscuit became a social media sensation
Biscoff-based recipes are breaking the internet – everything from cheesecakes and milkshakes to prawn dishes and salads. A few traditionalists are even enjoying the biscuits on their own. What’s behind this sweet success story?Around 15 years ago, Ashley Markle was admitted into a secret world, introduced to the treasures of an exclusive supply chain. She was staying at her aunt’s house and, one morning, when her aunt made her a coffee, she placed a little plastic-wrapped biscuit on the side. “I’d never seen them before,” says Markle
Move over, pistachio – it’s pecan time! The food trends hotlist
Intercultural cuisinesFrom Indo-Chinese and Taiwanese-Tex Mex, to Viet-Cajun and Cape-Malay, brace your tastebuds for culinary cultures colliding in the most delicious ways.PecanMove aside pistachio, this season is all about butter-pecan ice-cream, pecan pie, pecan dukkah, cinnamon Meshuga, and pecan frosted German chocolate cake.PostbioticsBioactive compounds such as lactic acid and butyrate, that are the end-product of good bacteria in our guts fermenting prebiotic fibre. Could they help maintain a healthy microbiome?Cambodian foodAmong the oldest Southeast Asian cuisines, Cambodian food combines freshness with aromatic complexity using ingredients such as kampot pepper, lime leaves, shrimp paste, holy basil and vinegar (check out Mamapen in Soho, London, by chef Kaneda Pen).Hi-fi Listening barsLow-lit establishments where vinyl records, exquisite small plates and discerning cocktails come together in harmony
Let them eat 1,600 cakes: inside Australia’s first Cake Picnic
Baker Alice Bennett, also known as Miss Trixie Drinks Tea, is the self-proclaimed queen of cakes in Melbourne. She assumes her cheeky email signature is why she was tapped as an assistant judge at Australia’s inaugural Cake Picnic. When the global phenomenon descended on Kings Domain in Melbourne last Saturday, 1,600 cakes were artfully presented and then summarily devoured as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (MFWF).Created in San Francisco in 2024 by amateur baking enthusiast Elisa Sunga, the first Cake Picnic was conceived as a way for the Californian to eat more cake than she could be bothered to bake. Her event has now toured nine cities, and will be visiting Sydney on Saturday 28 March
Joe Woodhouse’s recipes for orecchiette with chickpeas, and polenta chips with saucy chickpeas
I love pasta sauces that come together while the pasta is cooking. This one is lovely and wholesome, great for when the weather starts to warm up a little, and one of those that you can make pretty much year-round. The polenta chips, meanwhile, came about when I wanted to bulk up a plate of beans without the mess (and the pan of hot oil) that comes with making chips. The polenta can be made and set ahead, either during the day or the night before, or it will sit happily in the fridge for a couple of days.Sub in other green veg, such as shredded cavolo nero or even sliced courgettes
Fewer eggs, higher prices: Cadbury ‘doubled down’ on Easter chocolate shrinkflation, Choice finds
This year’s Easter baskets may be under-egged, as boxes of the festive chocolate treats become smaller and more expensive. An annual price comparison by Australia’s consumer watchdog has found that the cost of “pretty much all chocolate products” in the Easter egg category has gone up, said Choice journalist Liam Kennedy. But while most products have stayed the same size, some have been hit by shrinkflation as well.Cadbury are “definitely our main culprit”, Kennedy said. In 2025, Choice found that the brand’s largest pack of hollow Easter eggs reduced from 408g to 374g, while increasing in price from $12
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