It was announced yesterday that the Prime Minister and Chancellor will both be fined for breaking the law by attending a Downing Street party during COVID-19 lockdown. At Protect we are stunned by these events. We rightly expect our political leaders to follow the laws they pass and abide by the rule of law.
The fact that no one blew the whistle at the time illustrates the deeply problematic obstacles whistleblowers face in government when they want to speak up.
As Sue Gray’s report highlighted “Some staff wanted to raise concerns about behaviours they witnessed at work but at times felt unable to do so.”
Fines cannot be the end of the matter. We urge the government to use them as a catalyst to improve the whistleblowing culture across central Government and protections for whistleblowers more widely.
Read our full response here.