PCS demands urgent meeting with Cabinet Office over Gaza and role of civil servants

Fran Heathcote has today (13) written to the Cabinet Office permanent secretary Cat Little, condemning the comments made by two senior officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office following correspondence with civil servants rightly raising their ongoing concerns regarding the situation in Gaza and potential implications for our members across government.

In her letter, the third of its kind since 2024, the general secretary has highlighted several areas of concern for our members, concerns which they have raised with senior officials over the course of the past 18 months. They include:

• The legality of work being undertaken within the civil service and its related areas which involves interaction with the government of Israel;
• Our members’ obligations, and the employer’s interpretation of them, under the civil service code;
• Our members’ rights and freedoms, particularly in respect of the Equality Act 2010 and the European Convention on Human Rights

The letter goes on to highlight the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the confused messaging of Government at a time when the UK should be showing leadership, abiding by the laws of the ICJ and rightly condemning the genocidal rhetoric and actions of the Israel government.

“On 26 January 2024, the International Court of Justice ruled that that some of the alleged acts by Israel in Gaza could potentially be considered within the provisions of the Genocide Convention. PCS concurs with that view (...) PCS believes that the UK Government has an obligation to do all it can to prevent acts of genocide.  This includes stopping all work within the civil service and its related areas which in any way potentially enable acts of genocide.  We are not satisfied that the employer has obtained, nor even sought, legal advice on the legality of its actions.”

PCS and its members across government, particularly in DBT and FCDO, have continued to highlight the potential legal implications for our members, calling on government to seek legal advice and guidance in relation to its ongoing actions in support of the government of Israel and its war in Gaza.

PCS Annual Delegate Conference

PCS members reaffirmed their support for the people of Palestine at our annual delegate conference in May, continuing our union's commitment to support the Palestinian people in their struggle to achieve freedom from Israel’s cruel and unjust apartheid system and the achievement of a free and independent state. They also passed a motion which stated that no PCS member should be put at risk of being liable for aiding or assisting genocide as a result of working on or actioning British government arms export licenses to Israel; and that PCS would fully back any member facing any sort of disciplinary action for refusing to action or work on any arms export license to Israel.

The utterly disgraceful response of two senior officials in the FCDO, Sir Oliver Robbins and Nick Dyer, has shocked members. In response to the letter, signed by over 300 civil servants, they state "[If] your disagreement with any aspect of government policy or action is profound your ultimate recourse is to resign from the Civil Service," said the reply to the staff letter, sent from Sir Oliver Robbins and Nick Dyer, the two most senior civil servants in the Foreign Office (..)This is an honourable course."

PCS believes it is a dereliction of duty of government and a startling ignorance of the provisions of the civil service code which require all civil servants to act in accordance with the law, including international law.  

We will continue to support members across government who stand with the people of Palestine, and we will continue to campaign for an end to the slaughter in Gaza and freedom for the Palestinian people.