The United Kingdom’s Home Office has put in place new measures to prevent political messages being shared on official accounts after a tweet that made mention of “activist lawyers”.
Permanent Secretary at the Department, Matthew Rycroft (pictured) told Members of Parliament “additional layers of assurance” had been added to ensure no language was used on social media which was not “compatible with what Civil Servants should be using”.
It comes after the Department received backlash for posting a video with a caption that stated the current rules on deporting asylum seekers were “open to abuse… allowing activist lawyers to delay and disrupt returns”.
The tweet was later amended, but the Minister in charge of the Home Office, Priti Patel, reignited tensions by using the phrase “activist lawyers” in a separate tweet a week later.
Speaking to members of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, Mr Rycroft said he wanted to pay tribute to the Department’s staff who were grappling with complex fast-moving and sometimes divisive issues in their work.
“On this occasion, they used in a video, which as you know came out from the Home Office Twitter account, using lines which were, in my view, political,” Mr Rycroft said.
“They’re absolutely fine for a Minister or a Special Advisor or any other politician to use, but they weren’t, in my view, compatible with what Civil Servants should be using,” he said.
Asked by Labour MP, Yvette Cooper who approved the message, Mr Rycroft said it had been produced by Public Servants in the Home Office Press Office, “but using lines which would have been created in part by Special Advisers”.
Justice Spokesperson for the minority Liberal Democrat Party, Wera Hobhouse said it was clear that Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s top adviser, Dominic Cummings had set his sights on politicising and ultimately undermining the Public Service.
“This case shows just how dangerous that would be,” Ms Hobhouse said.
“It was right that this abhorrent Tweet was removed, but it should never have got that far,” she said.
London, 13 September 2020
