Work From Beach: Hundreds of civil servants clocking in remotely from holiday resorts, survey finds

By WILL HALLOWELL, NEWS REPORTER Published: 21:48, 8 June 2026 | Updated: 21:50, 8 June 2026 Hundreds of civil servants are being paid to work 'from the beach', a campaign group has claimed, with Whitehall bosses now facing accusations that they are approving 'taxpayer-funded globe-trotting'.  The Taxpayers' Alliance (TPA) has revealed that more than 350 civil servants were given permission to clock in remotely from holiday resorts in Spain, Greece, Australia and Brazil.  The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, led by 'Red' Ed Miliband, accounted for more than one-third of the 'jet-setting' Whitehall workers. The TPA has now accused civil servants of getting away with 'taxpayer-funded globe-trotting' at the same time that families have been forced to skip holidays abroad this summer due to the cost of living crisis.  YouGov recently revealed that one in five Britons do not have the money for a foreign holiday this year, while one-third have had to postpone trips this year, due to the rising cost of air travel amid soaring jet fuel prices owing to the Iran war.  The Taxpayers' Alliance research found that of the 359 civil servants who had logged on 'from the beach', 140 worked at the Department for Energy.  Meanwhile, 96 worked for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, 83 logged on for the Department for Business and Trade and 19 worked for the Department for Transport.  Nine worked for the Ministry of Justice, while at the Ministry of Defence this figure stood at just six.  The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, led by 'Red' Ed Miliband (pictured), accounted for more than one-third of the 'jet-setting' civil servants Whitehall bosses have now been accused of allowing civil servants to 'work from the beach' (File image) Callum McGoldrick, investigations manager at the TPA, told The Telegraph: 'Taxpayers will be absolutely furious to discover that 'working from home' now apparently means working from the beach. 'Allowing hundreds of civil servants to log on from far-flung destinations like Spain, Australia, and Brazil, while public services stall at home, crosses the line from flexible working into taxpayer-funded globe-trotting. 'It is time for ministers to ground these jet-setting bureaucrats and bring them back to Whitehall.' However the Cabinet Office said working from abroad was only permitted in 'exceptional circumstances' including personal matters such as bereavement. A spokesperson for the Government claimed the TPA's figures include staff 'who must travel abroad for their job'. They said: 'These figures include dedicated civil servants who must travel abroad for their job, such as those working on trade negotiations, or staff taking work equipment whilst on annual leave for business continuity. 'We expect most civil servants to spend at least 60 per cent of their time working from the office. 'Departments must comply with strict regulations when deciding to allow individual staff members to work abroad temporarily; cases are approved only in exceptional circumstances, such as a close family illness or bereavement.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.