11:42

Brexit will cost the civil service £74m a year in turnover of staff and endangers the progress of at least 26 projects designed to improve live in the UK, including the HS2 rail line, a new report claims.

A research paper by the Institute for Government reports that numbers in the civil service have now risen to levels not seen since the second world war, yet a hung parliament coupled with Brexit “have constrained the government’s ability to pass legislation”.

Only five of the 13 bills which the government has said it needs to pass ahead of Brexit have made it through parliament, it finds.