By GB News (Politics) | Created at 2026-06-18 13:10:09 | Updated at 2026-06-18 15:09:38
2 hours ago
The Civil Service has been blasted for its "utterly bizarre" workshop after asking staff to "role-play as earthworms" as part of an "interspecies council".
Lifting the lid on the reports, The Times News Reporter Bill Curtis revealed some staff were asked to role-play as "oak trees" during the workshop.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs officials were told to role-play as animals including earthworms, kingfishers and eels to "reimagine decision-making for the freshwater system post 2043".
The workshop on the "Interspecies Council" took place in 2024, a two day event with over 80 people in attendance.
Sharing more details of his findings, Mr Curtis told GB News it was "probably the most interesting story he's ever written".
He said: "It's utterly bizarre and probably the most interesting story I've ever written.
"It's civil servants, role playing as earthworms, and actually some of them didn't even get an animal at all, one of them got an oak tree to play as. What on earth is happening?"
Highlighting another shocking initiative which saw civil servants playing video games, Mr Curtis stressed "thousands" of staff are taking part in these "bizarre" activities.
Bill Curtis has lifted the lid on the 'utterly bizarre' civil servant workshop where they were told to 'role-play as earthworms'
GB NEWS
He said: "It comes after the reports in the Telegraph of the civil servants being paid to play GTA to better understand people, and it forms part of this policy lab, which people in Government are now moving to try and get rid of.
"Over 7,000 civil servants have taken part in initiatives like these, and I think people at home are probably looking at it and thinking, why can't we give more money to defence? But here we are letting civil servants role-play as earthworms."
Asked by host Emily Carver for more details on the workshop, Mr Curtis revealed it took place in 2024, when the Conservatives were in Downing Street.
He told GB News: "The Labour special adviser I was talking to yesterday before publishing the story was really hammering down at the Tories, because this was in 2024 when they were obviously in charge.
UK environment civil servants participated in experimental workshops where they role-played as animals including earthworms as part of an 'Interspecies Council'
GETTY
"And apparently no ministers were involved in signing it off. It looks like it's just been done internally in the civil service, and while they're moving to turn it around and not let civil servants do these kind of things, it could be an earthworm too far."
Quizzed on what the purpose of the workshop was, Mr Curtis said it was "part of the re-imagining of the water system in 2043".
He told GB News: "It was a two-day event and over 80 people attended, and while we don't know exactly word for word what was taught there, another thing I was looking at was a school.
"It was a picture of a school with worms, saying that it was going to be 'future compost underneath the systems and land in our country', and I still can't get to the bottom of what the actual purpose was."
The reporter told GB News it was a two-day event which more than 80 people attended
GB NEWS
Baffled by Mr Curtis's story, host Tom Harwood responded: "This is an amateur dramatics society! This wasn't on zoom, was it, Bill?"
Mr Curtis revealed: "No, you had to go and attend a house, I forget the name, but I think it was in Bedfordshire somewhere."
In a statement, a Cabinet Office spokesman told GB News: "We are reforming the civil service to create a cost conscious culture that relentlessly roots our waste, drives efficiency and protects taxpayers money.
"We're currently looking into this initiative."
