Downing Street denies existence of 'back to work' campaign

Downing Street has denied the existence of a Government "back to work" campaign despite efforts to encourage employers to make workplaces "Covid-secure".

Instead, employers are to be reminded of how to make workplaces Covid-safe in a bid to increase office numbers.

Ministers fear huge job losses in town and city centre shops and cafes if workers do not return to their pre-lockdown commuter patterns.

But reports surfaced suggesting there was a rift in Government over whether the timing was right to be encouraging staff to return to their desks, with the coronavirus rate still growing in parts of the country.

The Telegraph reported the launch of a public information campaign pushing for home working to be curtailed was put back as a result of the splits.

But the Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters: "There has never been a ‘back to work’ campaign."

He said social media posts, along with paid adverts, would this weekend encourage employers to consult the Government’s guidance on making workplaces “Covid-secure” to ensure "more people can spend some of their time working from the office".

A "partnership" with regional and local media, in place since June, will carry a similar message "shortly", the spokesman said.

"We are promoting how to make your workplace Covid-secure so more people can work from the office,” he added.

"What we’ve also done is change the guidance to give employers more discretion over how their employees can work safely.

"The PM does want to see people discussing their working arrangements with their employers."

The comments come after the Bank of England told MPs the Government’s own Covid-safe guidelines for employers meant it was unlikely offices could get back up to full capacity due to the need for staff to be kept apart.

Workplace advice includes introducing one-way systems, staggered shift times and limiting the number of colleagues that staff members are exposed to in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

Alex Brazier, the bank’s executive director for risk, told the Commons Treasury Committee on Wednesday: “Because of those constraints I don’t think we can expect to see a sudden and sharp return of lots of people to the very dense office environments that we were used to.”

Downing Street said there was "no update" on how many civil servants were back in Whitehall but confirmed department bosses were having to report to the Cabinet Office about how progress was faring in terms of getting offices ready.

"We would expect to see more civil servants returning to their workplaces over the next coming weeks," the Prime Minister’s spokesman said.

Mr Johnson has reportedly told Tory backbenchers he wants Parliament “back to normal” by Christmas as he looks to urge MPs to lead from the front on the return to workplaces.

Read more

Portugal 'to go back on travel red list' as UK virus cases climb-LIVE

No-one goes to work for the ‘banter’, Mr Hunt

Working from home leaves companies more vulnerable to cyber hacks

Government launches £2 billion scheme to get young people into work

A number of start-ups plan mix of home and office work in September