Could Cutting HR by 50% Backfire on the UK Government?
- 5 Min Read
Reform UK’s pledge to cut HR, policy and communications roles by 50% as part of an AI-led government reform plan has reignited debate about the future value of workforce functions. As automation reshapes administrative work, HR leaders face growing pressure to demonstrate strategic impact beyond operational delivery.
- Author: HRD Connect
- Date published: May 27, 2026
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Reform UK has sparked debate after outlining plans to dramatically reduce HR, communications and policy roles across government as part of a broader attempt to shrink the size of the state and reshape Whitehall.
The proposals appear in Fixing the Centre, a policy paper published by party policy chief Danny Kruger, which argues that government has become too administrative, too expensive and too disconnected from frontline delivery. Among its most controversial measures is a commitment to cut “non-operations professions like policy, comms and HR by at least 50%” if Reform UK were to win the next general election.
The paper also proposes abolishing the role of Cabinet Secretary and significantly reducing wider civil service headcount, while increasing the number of special advisers supporting ministers. Taken together, the proposals point to a model of government with fewer permanent administrative functions, more political oversight and greater reliance on AI to carry out clerical and analytical work.
Why the reform has been proposed
The proposal sits within a wider political debate about public spending, civil service productivity and the size of government. Reform UK argues that Whitehall has become overly process-driven and that too many roles now sit away from direct operational delivery.
AI is central to that argument. The paper suggests that technology could reduce the need for large numbers of administrative, analytical and clerical staff, allowing government to operate with fewer people while maintaining output. In that sense, the proposal reflects a wider trend across organisations: support functions are increasingly being assessed through the lens of automation, efficiency and cost control.
The timing is also significant. Governments and businesses alike are under mounting pressure to improve productivity while controlling costs. With AI adoption accelerating rapidly across both the public and private sectors, political leaders are increasingly questioning which functions remain essential and which can be streamlined through technology.
HR is being viewed through an efficiency lens
For HR leaders, the proposal raises an uncomfortable question: how is the value of HR being defined in an AI-enabled organisation?
Transactional HR work is already being streamlined in many workplaces. Payroll processing, onboarding administration, reporting, policy queries and some employee self-service tasks are increasingly supported by automation and AI tools. In that context, it is unsurprising that policymakers and business leaders are asking whether support functions can become leaner.
But the risk is that HR becomes reduced to its administrative footprint. Modern HR is not only about processing requests or maintaining policies. It is increasingly responsible for workforce planning, leadership development, organisational design, employee relations, wellbeing, skills strategy and culture during periods of change.
This is particularly important during moments of transformation. As organisations adopt AI, restructure teams and respond to economic uncertainty, the demand for leadership support, communication and workforce coordination often increases rather than declines.
AI may reduce admin, but it can increase workforce complexity
The argument for cutting HR relies partly on the assumption that AI will reduce the need for human support. In some areas, that is true. AI can automate routine tasks, speed up document handling and improve access to basic information.
However, AI transformation also creates new workforce challenges. Employees need clarity on how roles will change, managers need support to lead through uncertainty and organisations need governance around trust, fairness and capability. These are not purely technical problems.
Recent research has already highlighted growing employee anxiety around AI adoption, with workers expressing concerns about job security, skills relevance and the pace of workplace change. As workplaces become more automated, the human side of work often becomes more complex.
HR’s role may therefore shift away from process delivery, but its strategic importance may increase.
Public sector pressure is already high
The proposals also come at a time when public sector organisations are managing significant workforce strain. Recruitment challenges, retention pressure, skills shortages, industrial relations and wellbeing concerns are already stretching many teams.
Reducing HR capacity could shift more responsibility onto managers and operational leaders, who may not have the expertise or time to manage complex workforce issues alone. In large public institutions, employee relations, compliance, organisational change and workforce planning require coordination and judgement that cannot easily be replaced by automation.
There is also the question of institutional knowledge. Government departments operate within highly regulated environments where workforce decisions often carry legal, operational and political consequences. While AI may streamline certain processes, managing large-scale organisational systems still requires oversight, context and human judgement.
A leaner HR function may need to become more strategic
The Reform UK proposal points to a future many organisations are already considering: HR functions may become smaller, more automated and more focused on strategic work.
That does not necessarily mean HR becomes less important. It means HR must be clearer about where it creates value. The function will need to demonstrate its impact on productivity, workforce capability, leadership performance, organisational resilience and risk management.
The bigger lesson is that HR can no longer rely on process ownership as proof of relevance. As AI takes over more administrative work, HR’s value will increasingly depend on its ability to help organisations manage the human consequences of change.
Reform UK’s pledge may be political, but the question it raises is wider than government reform alone. As AI reshapes organisational structures, HR leaders are likely to face growing pressure to justify not only the size of their teams, but the strategic value they bring to the future of work.
