A list of banned words drawn up by the Welsh Government for over 30,000 civil servants has been described as a 'bonkers misuse of public money' by a devolved administration.
The 'do not use' list of words and terms that have been deemed as unacceptable include 'Brexit' and 'HM Government' in an official A-Z guide by the Labour-run Welsh Government staff which has been funded by the taxpayer.
Some of the exclusions in the newly-updated 'Style Guide' have left workers puzzled due to more rules being laid down for civil servants in Cardiff than their counterparts in England.
Barry Batchelor
Andrew RT Davies, the Welsh Conservative Senedd leader, says the government has "well and truly lost the plot".
He told The Times: "Only last week we had ministers cancelling 'women' from sex education in Wales, and now they're consigning Brexit and Her Majesty to the political correctness bin.
"It's a bonkers misuse of public money and a complete and utter waste of time. Civil servants who are just looking to get on with their day job shouldn't be subjected to such nonsense.
"And to be frank, the Labour Welsh government has much more important things it should be tackling, such as the chronic problems in our NHS, and our crumbling road infrastructure, which continues to serve as a national embarrassment.
Staff are told: "Brexit has happened. Use transition period to refer to the time between 1 February and 31 December 2020".
Also banned is Her Majesty's Government. The guide reads: "UK government. Never HM government".
Another term banned is BAME. The guide tells staff: "Do not use this. Use Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic. For any subsequent references on the same page use "ethnic minority" or "ethnic minority communities".
Civil servants are also discouraged from saying "Able-bodied" or "Vulnerable".
It instructs: "Do not use this. Use non-disabled".