In other news, for those who haven't already heard, my company announced yesterday that 1 in 10 employees were going to be made redundant by the end of the year. It will be some weeks before I have any idea exactly who is likely to get it in the neck, so I may be a little tense for a while.
(Rationally speaking it seems likely to me that they'll be gunning for new starters first, because they don't have as much company expertise at their fingertips and because you don't have to give them as much redundancy pay; but nonetheless it's not a particularly cheery thought...)
As for who they make redundant... they can't hit new starters first as that is targeting people which is a big no-no under UK employment law. Strictly speaking they can only make roles redundant, not the people who occupy those roles.