New Maude brainwave – let bankers work from home

[dutchman]

Francis Maude, the minister at the heart of the fuel crisis, is behind government plans for bankers to be allowed to work from home during the Olympics, it emerged last night.



During specially convened "Olympics Cabinet" meetings, the Cabinet Office minister has enthusiastically backed an initiative for large firms based at Canary Wharf to let their staff work remotely, to ease congestion in east London.

Canary Wharf's stations are expected to among the busiest throughout the two weeks of the Games as ticketholders travel to the Olympic Park.

Mr Maude, whose advice that people should stockpile petrol in "jerry cans" has led to calls for him to resign, is keen to encourage more working from home across the economy. Civil servants are also expected to be told to stay at home during the Games. The accountancy firm KPMG, with headquarters in Canary Wharf, is believed to be one of the companies that have agreed in principle to Mr Maude's proposal. A spokesman for Canary Wharf said: "During the Olympics we are certainly expecting more people than usual to work from home or from offices outside of London."

The Canary Wharf Group, the company behind the skyscrapers, will announce an initiative, backed by the accountancy firm Deloitte, for firms to test their readiness for the Games on 8 and 9 May; the tests will include flexible working. The Financial Services Authority has given its blessing to the proposal, so it can be expected that many of the big companies in the Square Mile and Canary Wharf will take part in the test.

[Spuffler]

Well, that should allow them some more freedom to devise new ways to con us all again.....

[dutchman]

The only reason I can think why Cameron hadn't already sacked Maude is that Maude has some kind of hold over Cameron? Perhaps he knows something which could seriously damage the government if he were ever to be fired from it?

[rebbonk]

The only reason I can think why Cameron hadn't already sacked Maude is that Maude has some kind of hold over Cameron? Perhaps he knows something which could seriously damage the government if he were ever to be fired from it?

Let's face it, he's not in there because of his brains!

[Spuffler]

What brains would that be, Rebbonk? Do you mean the one lonely cell?