UNITED KINGDOM
Attacks by UK MPs and Ministers on the impartiality of the Public Service have been condemned at the annual meeting of the Trade Unions Congress.
A motion passed unanimously by the umbrella organisation for all unions called on Prime Minister, Theresa May to do more to defend the integrity of officials.
Submitted by the FDA trade union representing senior officials, the motion condemned the “unwarranted attacks on the impartiality, integrity and professionalism of the Civil Service”.
It warned that “for some politicians and commentators, across the political spectrum, undermining the public’s trust in a politically impartial Civil Service is a price worth paying to further their ideological objectives”.
It called comments from a Member of Parliament, Steve Baker (pictured), when he was a Minister as a “new low”.
When he was a Minister at the Department for Exiting the European Union (Brexit), Mr Baker accused PS staff of undermining Brexit after a confidential economic analysis was leaked to the media.
He seemingly accused PS staff of deliberately developing an analysis to favour a continued close relationship with the EU, although he later apologised for those remarks.
The motion called on all politicians to avoid undermining the impartiality and integrity of the Public Service and urged Ms May “to publicly condemn such comments and discipline Ministers if they are responsible for them”.
“These attacks will inevitably have profound longer-term consequences for any Government seeking to convince the electorate of major policy initiatives where it seeks to use the analysis and expertise of the Civil Service to make its case,” the statement said.
London, 14 September 2018
