DOWNING STREET’S reassessment of 300 quangos must have “clear objectives and rationale,” Prospect union said yesterday.

The public bodies will reportedly be tested against a series of criteria, including whether they duplicate work being carried out by ministers and government departments.

Prospect general secretary Mike Clancy said: “Specialist civil servants working around the country in arm’s-length bodies do incredibly important work that is often underappreciated in Westminster.