ie “F.O. if you don’t like it…”
Tom Bateman
Correspondent
Published
7 hours ago
More than 300 Foreign Office staff who raised concerns about potential UK “complicity” in Israel’s conduct in Gaza were told if they profoundly disagreed with government policy they could consider resigning.
The staff letter, seen by the BBC, was sent to Foreign Secretary David Lammy last month.
In it, officials questioned the UK’s continued arms sales and what they called a “stark… disregard for international law” by Israel.
The Foreign Office said it had systems for staff to raise concerns and added the government had “rigorously applied international law” in relation to the war in Gaza.
The reply to the staff letter was sent from Sir Oliver Robbins and Nick Dyer, the two most senior civil servants in the Foreign Office.
They told the signatories: “[I]f your disagreement with any aspect of government policy or action is profound your ultimate recourse is to resign from the Civil Service. This is an honourable course.”
The response was met with “outrage” according to one official who signed the letter.
“[There is] frustration and a deep sense of disappointment that the space for challenge is being further shut down,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The officials’ letter signed on 16 May was at least the fourth such document sent by concerned civil servants to ministers and Foreign Office managers since late 2023.
The BBC understands the signatories represent a wide range of expertise across Foreign Office departments, embassies and missions including in London and overseas.
(More on link)
I only skimmed the rest but you can probably guess…
But…that’s an awful lot of staff to be brought to heel by simple pronouncements and threats. Shows the complaints procedure is just for show.
“There are systems in place which allow them to raise concerns if they have them,” said the spokesperson. They added: "Since day one, this government has rigorously applied international law in relation to the war in Gaza. One of our first acts in government was to suspend export licences that could be used by the Israeli Defence Forces in Gaza…
What use are rules and procedures in the face of brazen lies and threats.
I don’t know if they had the option to resign and take the FO to tribunal - a career-ending option anyway, one way or the other.
ED