Civil Servants expressing grave concerns about breaching international law over Gaza have been told if they don't like it, they should quit!
Right, so you’re a civil servant. You’re expected to work within the bounds of international law as per the civil service code of conduct, yet you’re a civil servant working on the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the FCDO, therefore your boss is David Lammy and you’re tasked with the day to day operations, along with hundreds of others, of keeping that department running, and remining within those boundaries of international law, despite that government’s position on Israel and Gaza. How do you do it? How do you avoid becoming complicit in Israel’s genocide of Gaza given the Starmer and Lammy’s positions on Israel? Their undying devotion, support and loyalty to Israel, despite everything they are doing? It’s a question over 300 FCDO civil servants have found themselves unable to justify, resulting in a letter being submitted jointly between all of them, suggestions made, on what the department should do, by those who frankly know best, those who work in it regardless of which party is in power, only for this letter to not only be ignored, but for those civil servants to effectively be told to know their place and if they don’t like it, if they can’t cope with being potentially complicit in war crimes, if they can’t operate outside the civil service code of conduct as is seemingly required, then they can always resign. If that is the view of the foreign office, if that is the view of this government, that there is nothing Israel can’t do, this is incredibly dangerous and sends a clear message that what ought to be a massive story and PR disaster for Labour in that clearly they will support Israel no matter what.
The video examines the role of civil servants within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), particularly their responsibility to operate within the bounds of international law. It highlights their duty to adhere to the Civil Service Code of Conduct and follow the chain of command under the uk government, even when government positions are controversial. This emphasizes the importance of upholding ethical standards and legal limits in their work.
