| Senior mandarins want to start working with Labour up to a year before the next general election and even help them write their manifesto, it was revealed today. Civil servants are desperate to avoid the series of policy disasters and U-turns made by the Coalition in the past two years, by helping an opposition party better prepare for Government. One option being considered is that Whitehall staff will be sent to the Labour party on secondment to help them develop in the job and also help with policy. Rebellion: As David Cameron and Nick Clegg continue to squabble over policy mandarins say they have had enough and want to help develop policy It came as Liberal Democrats and Tories have already fallen out badly over Lords reform and constituency boundary changes and these tensions will increase as the parties approach the 2015 election. Their internal rows have already put pay to changes to the NHS, selling-off of forests and various tax measures, which Whitehall sources say could have been avoided had they been involved in developing the policies in the first place. 'Following the debacle over the NHS reform Bill civil servants are saying "Never again!' one senior Whitehall source told The Times. Anger: Tory Bernard Jenkin says the plans by civil servants to help write manifestos are 'absurd' 'There were also hundreds or proposals in the Coalition agreement that were not properly thought through. There have been active discussions about meeting the Opposition before manifestos are drawn up.' But there are rumblings from senior MPs that they will work to oppose this move, as dealing with manifestos is a matter for politicians not public servants, they say. Bernard Jenkin, chair of the Public Administration Select Committee said it was an 'absurd idea', but former Home Secretary Charles Clarke said that it would 'improve Government' but getting civil servants to help with manifestos would be going too far. At the moment Whitehall staff hold some talks with shadow ministers before elections but under these proposals, already popular in Europe, mandarins will help them with a potential transition into Government up to a year beforehand. Insiders say this must happen at least 12 months before polling day to allow the wheels of Government to turn quickly when a new party takes over. Meanwhile a source within Downing Street has told the Times today that the Coalition parties are running out of things they agree on. 'At the start. we thought we were being clever by pushing off the difficult decisions into the long grass. Now this looks less wise as all the most intractable issues return all at once,' the source said.Mutinous mandarins plan rebellion against Coalition and even pledge to help Labour write its manifesto
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