The number of civil servants has, interestingly, dropped very substantially under the Coalition. Whether as a result of redefinition or of stripping down, the numbers have fallen since the Brownite high point, from over half a million to a mere 434,000.

Turmoil at No 10

The newspapers have outdone themselves with an eclectic collection of April Fools' Day japes, but were you taken in?

David Cameron now has a special app to run the country. But what else is on his iPad? John Rentoul sneaks an iPeek

But Health Secretary Lansley may be heading for exit, PM indicates to party's spring forum

The fate of hundreds of thousands of migrating birds and the environment are hanging in the balance as the future of a possible airport on the Thames estuary is argued over by the London Mayor and the Prime Minister

Cabinet ministers are human beings. They know people. They have friends and former colleagues who are sometimes also friends. Some of their friends and former colleagues become lobbyists. Their closeness to ministers is the reason they secure lucrative jobs.

Click HERE to see the Rebekah Brooks video

One of Britain's largest lobbying companies has been secretly recorded boasting about its access to the heart of the Government and how it uses the "dark arts" to bury bad coverage and influence public opinion.

Special undercover investigation: Executives from Bell Pottinger reveal 'dark arts' they use to burnish reputations of countries accused of human rights violations

Radical plans to make it easier for employers to sack their workers could soon become a reality. Yet they remain hugely controversial

It is charming to discover that while George Osborne is peering down at the point noughts of growth, David Cameron's policy adviser Steve Hilton has his head in the clouds. Why the fuss that Hilton's blue-sky thinking includes the abolition of maternity and consumer rights and introduction of everlasting sunshine? If he calls for cautious reform and more team games, the mad monk is out of a job.