A former senior civil servant has reportedly criticized some of the policymakers behind the illegal immigration bill, accusing them of having “racist views” on immigrants.
The senior policy officer attended key ministerial meetings on small boat policy, including a meeting with then Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Her claim was part of an employment tribunal now closed.
She said that from her perspective, Illegal Immigration Task Force Chief Michael Bourke and his deputy director viewed “an extremely hostile environment against undesirable aliens as both practical, necessary and comforting” “.
In formal court documents seen by Sky News, the former policy director of the Illegal Immigration Task Force, who served as a civil servant for 12 years, said she had repeatedly tried to shift the conversation away from “prejudice and accusations” and towards objective assessment. and accountability”.
Mr Burke said his position was that his conduct towards the former civil servant was fair and that during her time on the task force she was “negative and problematic, causing colleagues to feel disrespected, overburdened or compromised” “.
He denied she was treated less favorably and discriminated against because of her race or gender.
She said her approach would involve considering legal risks and the “potential waste of taxpayers’ money in the event of a legal challenge”.
But she said the approach was “racist in the extreme and hostile” and that the no-return policy would cover such behavior, saying they treated her as an “unwelcome visitor to the task force”.
In an exchange in court documents, she told how she felt her dual citizenship was being questioned, with a senior official at the department asking whether her French citizenship would become an “issue” when British and French interests did not align. .
She said she responded that as a British civil servant she was bound by civil service law.
The Illegal Immigration Task Force, established by Boris Johnson to tackle the “small boat” problem, was launched in November 2021 and holds ministerial meetings three times a week, some of which are attended by the then Prime Minister in person.
After raising concerns, the former civil servant said her role was split in two and she felt she was being managed.
She said she was seen as troublesome for holding views contrary to the consensus.
Simon Keyes is the head of the Civil Service.Image source: Reuters
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During a high-profile meeting with cabinet secretaries, she was on a call with civil service chief Simon Keyes and others but was asked to leave the call without giving a reason.
She said a colleague later told her that Mr Case wanted her to hang up because he was aware of her complaints about racial discrimination and harassment within the Cabinet Office.
The Cabinet Office said she did not have permission to participate in the call.
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Ultimately, she said, “I think speaking out against racism on the illegal immigration task force is a career death sentence.”
Responding to the released documents, the Cabinet Office said: “These allegations are completely unfounded and the Cabinet Office has always categorically denied all allegations in this case.
“We are prepared to defend them in court.
“The claimants have withdrawn all of these claims and we agree with this.
“No fees, including legal fees incurred, have been paid.”
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