Economy

David Cameron’s dilemma over the EU referendum bears striking similarities – and some notable differences – to that faced by Harold Wilson in 1975, says Robin Butler

Government hails major savings on government estate since 2010 and sets out plans to go further - but the PCS union warns "vital local services" will be undermined

MPs say they are “disappointed” by lack of clarity over progress on welfare reforms

Productivity plan "must avoiding collecting dust on Whitehall bookshelves" by including concrete measures of success, BIS committee says

Chief secretary to the Treasury Greg Hands says his department’s five-strand programme – designed to put finance at the heart of government decision-making – is on course and delivering results

FDA general secretary Dave Penman says HMRC staff should not be blamed for internet giant Google’s controversial tax deal

BIS minister Anna Soubry answers urgent question on department's decision to leave Sheffield and outlines plans for new regional centres

Civil service unions criticise BIS’s decision to shut its Sheffield office – placing 250 jobs in jeopardy – and warn further job losses will follow

BIS permanent secretary Martin Donnelly announces plans to axe department’s Sheffield operation and create a “combined HQ and policy centre in London”

Think tank report says lack of guidance from central government and Whitehall capacity issues have frustrated local leaders’ efforts to take on more powers

Whitehall tops this year's Times Guide to Higher and Degree Apprenticeships

HMRC's Jim Harra says critics of deal with Google are misunderstanding corporation tax rules – but Labour's John McDonnell renews attack on "very poor deal"

FDA and Prospect urge the Senior Salaries Review Body to back a front-loaded 4% payrise and warn of "divisive" attempts to boost the pay of only a limited number of specialists

Treasury Committee to review HMRC's approach to tax avoidance and consider whether overhaul of corporation tax is needed amid row over deal with search giant Google

Majority of departments will be asked to create new apprenticeships equivalent to 2.3% of their overall staffing levels, BIS confirms

 UK Statistics Authority "deeply concerned" about "unauthorised, widespread sharing of statistics before their publication"

Overall borrowing this year now at £74.2bn,  past the OBR's projection of £68.9bn

Report by MPs says Eurostar sale was managed well but that government used "over cautious assumptions" and should do more to build in-house corporate finance knowledge

Government should be trialling use of distributed ledger technologies to improve welfare payments, according to a report published today

Sir Nicholas Macpherson – the longest serving Treasury perm sec for sixty years – can be credited with overseeing the rebuilding of the finance ministry. But his successor faces a formidable in-tray

MPs on the Public Accounts Committee says the industry regulator is failing to ensure savings are passed on

New report by the National Audit Office spending watchdog finds that while departmental spending on consultants and temporary staff has plummeted over last five years, latest figures indicate a “short-term reduction rather than a sustainable strategy”

Labour’s new commission – led by the former head of the civil service – can learn a host of lessons from previous bids to wrest power from the chancellor, says our columnist Sue Cameron

Chancellor George Osborne pays tribute to "one of the outstanding public servants of his generation" as Macpherson announces his departure from the civil service