The great Civil Service sell off – Media roundup: May 1st, 2013

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The great Civil Service sell off

“Ministers are preparing to spin off “dozens” of state-owned services into independent companies in what could be one of the largest privatisation programmes since the 1980s. Under plans being rolled out by the Cabinet Office, millions of pounds’ worth of state-owned services will be spun off into independent companies – jointly owned by private-sector investors and their employees – within the next two years. Eventually as many as one in six civil servants – or 75,000 staff – could be transferred into the private sector with the Government maintaining a minority stake and offering long-term contracts to the new companies to encourage investment.” – Independent

“The government’s “nudge unit” – also known as the behavioural insight team – will take its first step to becoming a profit-making joint venture on Wednesday as the Cabinet Office launches a competition to find a commercial partner for the business. Since the unit was set up three years ago, it has become an internationally renowned source of ideas on how to change voters’ behaviour without legislation, often using techniques drawn from psychology and advertising, as well as common sense.” – Guardian

Tory MP’s dad is a UKIP candidate

“Securing the support of Sushil Patel was a coup for the Eurosceptic party as a British Asian, and the father of the Conservative MP for Witham and leading right-winger Priti Patel, 41…Mr Patel, 64, said last night: ‘Ukip is not a racist party – it is daylight coming through the darkness hours of this country… I joined a year ago because I had been watching it. Ukip is not racist – they are trying to make progress…He said he had not told his daughter about his plans to stand.” – Daily Mail

Other highlights

• Taking a closer look at the UKIP manifesto – James Ball, Guardian
• Another swipe at Ed Miliband from a Murdoch paper – The Times(£)
• Labour is betting everything on pothole politics – Mary Riddell, Telegraph