UNITED KINGDOM
A United Kingdom Government Minister has slammed the way Special Advisers are now hired, saying there is a need for more severe vetting processes.
The criticisms by the Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth, Kwasi Kwarteng followed the hiring and subsequent resignation of Andrew Sabisky (pictured) after he made controversial comments on eugenics, race and welfare claimants.
Mr Kwarteng called the remarks “racist and reprehensible”.
Mr Sabisky, who described himself as an independent researcher and a “super-forecaster”, was recruited after Dominic Cummings, the top aide of Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, put out a call for “misfits and weirdos” to apply for Special Adviser and Public Service roles at Mr Johnson’s office.
Many of Mr Sabisky’s controversial comments were made underneath posts on Mr Cummings’ blog.
Mr Kwarteng called for an overhaul of the system as he warned that the unorthodox methods could let people with reprehensible views into the Government.
“They were racist remarks and as soon as that came to light he left the Government pretty quickly, and we have drawn a line underneath that,” Mr Kwarteng said.
“I don’t know how he was recruited; I don’t know who he is,” he said.
“I read in the paper that he is 27 years old.”
“He has clearly got lots of views and has written profusely on them.”
“Now I am pleased to say he has left the Government.”
Initially, an official spokesperson for the Prime Minister repeatedly refused to condemn Mr Sabisky’s writings, which included the claim that black people were intellectually inferior to white people.
The spokesperson refused 32 times to outright disavow the comments at a briefing, simply saying the Prime Minister’s views are “well-publicised and well-documented”.
London, 20 February 2020
