Sacked UK Foreign Office whistleblower furious over hearing secrecy
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The UK government insists on keeping the full hearing private and away from public eyes.
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UK military personnel seen onboard an A400M aircraft departing Kabul, Afghanistan, August 28, 2021 (Reuters)
Josie Stewart, the senior official who was fired from the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) for being the whistleblower that outlined the UK's failure in handling Afghanistan's withdrawal, appealed her dismissal decision, but the government insists on the privacy of the trial.
In May 2022, Stewart gave the BBC an anonymous interview where she revealed "systemic failures of leadership, planning, and preparation." This resulted in her dismissal.
According to The Guardian, Stewart decided to consider "her treatment to employment tribunal to test legal protections for whistleblowers amid concerns there is insufficient protection for civil servants who disclose sensitive information in the public interest."
Stewart also expressed her frustration regarding the UK government's attempt to "ensure" the legal proceedings remain private citing national security grounds under rule 94 of the employment tribunal rules.
While Stewart's hearing is set for September 2023, the senior official and her designated lawyers attended a preliminary hearing before Judge Andrew Glennie.
The preliminary hearing, which was held in private, was meant to make a decision on whether the complete hearing would be held publicly or in private.
Significantly, The Guardian revealed that its reporter was banned from entry to the preliminary hearing. This information was later corroborated by Stewart herself who said, "A Guardian reporter whom I met at reception … who had turned up to cover the hearing, was turned away.”
The senior official updated her supporters via the CrowdJustice website, saying the proceedings were partly "infuriating" given that she could not disclose any information, even regarding the preliminary hearing.
Steward also said, "What I can say is that we will receive the judge’s decision and reasons on 18 May," adding that today was "intense, emotional, infuriating and motivating. And that my legal team are truly incredible: it was a privilege to witness them at work.”
Stewart outlines 'systemic failures' of Afghan withdrawal
The interview the senior official conducted for BBC, on condition of anonymity, detailed how "the manner of our withdrawal from Afghanistan was a disaster and a betrayal of our allies that will damage the UK's interests for years to come."
"Most damning for the Foreign Office is the total absence of a plan for evacuating Afghans who supported the UK mission, without being directly employed by the UK government, despite knowing 18 months before the collapse of Afghanistan that an evacuation might be necessary," she said.
The Foreign Office "provided answers that were intentionally evasive and often deliberately misleading" in response to inquiries from the Committee, which began work on the report in September. Instead, two whistleblowers spoke before the committee.
The report added that "those who lead the Foreign Office should be ashamed that civil servants of great integrity felt compelled to risk their careers to bring the situation to light."
The study emphasized the government's absence of a chain of command and "untraceable and unaccountable political interventions."
