Government accused of ‘fudging’ consultancy spending to meet pledge

The government is facing allegations of manipulating consultancy spending figures to appear compliant with a pledge to reduce payments to the Big Four accounting firms. Despite efforts to clamp down, there's been a notable rise in professional services spending, which raises questions about the effectiveness of these measures. This situation underscores broader concerns about fiscal transparency and accountability, suggesting deeper issues in how public funds are managed and reported. For more details, check out the full article on the Financial Times website.