UNITED KINGDOM
Just one in 20 specialist Public Servants say they are satisfied with the United Kingdom Government’s approach to leaving the European Union (Brexit).
This represents a significant drop in approval from nearly one in five last year, according to a union survey.
Four out of five of Whitehall’s scientists, engineers, analysts and mathematicians told the Prospect union they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the Government’s ability to negotiate with the European Union.
As well as a lack of progress in negotiations, union executives blamed the dramatic drop in satisfaction on Ministers such as Michael Gove (pictured) for undermining the role of Government specialists.
The Secretary for the Environment notoriously claimed before the EU referendum that “people have had enough of experts”.
General Secretary of the Prospect union, Mike Clancy said the findings showed Whitehall’s experts were losing confidence in the Government’s ability to find a way through the negotiations.
The union conducted an online survey of 1,073 members, made up of scientists, engineers and experts in their field working across the Public Service, over several weeks.
Mr Clancy said the Government had lost the trust of specialists working in the public sector, which should be partly blamed on Mr Gove’s comments on experts.
“We are only just seeing the consequences of that remark now,” Mr Clancy said.
“I think any politician who is so confident that they can say to the public that they don’t have to rely on experts has an extraordinary ego, which is likely to catch up with them at some stage.
“It is corrosive and dangerous,” Mr Clancy said.
London, 1 September, 2018
