GREEDY civil servants were caught red handed trying to buy Five Guys burgers on the taxpayer-funded government credit card.
But their transaction was blocked after the government froze 20,000 procurement cards in a crackdown on Whitehall waste.
The two women were spotted trying to buy the posh burgers by a government insider on Thursday night in Kings Cross, north London.
They tried to pay for their food with a government procurement card, which re black and have the government crest.
Then a message flashed up on the till showing it was declined.
An individual within the government who observed the situation mentioned: “While there have been complaints about greedy civil servants in the past, indulging in luxurious burgers using taxpayer money is beyond belief.”
“We froze government procurement cards to stop waste like this.
“Labour will never play fast and loose with taxpayers money.”
Last month, the Cabinet Office suspended the procurement cards. The spike in spending, which increased by a staggering 400 per cent in a mere four years, had raised concerns among ministers.
Only a small number of cards used by diplomats or government workers in war-zones and hostile countries will be exempt from the freeze.
The maximum spend for hospitality is also being be cut from £2,500 to £500.
It is part of Downing Street’s efforts to slash civil service waste and excessive spending.
