Statement on Sir Philip Rutnam’s claim for unfair (constructive) dismissal

Announcing the commencement of legal action from former Home Office Permanent Secretary Sir Philip Rutnam, FDA General Secretary Dave Penman said:

“On 29 February 2020, Sir Philip Rutnam resigned as Permanent Secretary of the Home Office, indicating that he intended to pursue a claim of constructive dismissal. Following his resignation, the FDA instructed Gavin Mansfield QC, Head of Littleton Chambers and employment law specialist, as Counsel to advise Sir Philip, supported by Clive Howard, Senior Principal Lawyer, Employment and Partnership at Slater and Gordon.

“This morning, Sir Philip, with the support of his legal team and the FDA, submitted a claim to the employment tribunal for unfair (constructive) dismissal and whistleblowing against the Home Secretary.

“Sir Philip will not be making any further comment at this time.”

Notes for editors

1. The FDA is the union for senior managers and professionals in public service, representing more than 18,000 members at grades HEO and above. Membership includes senior civil servants, government policy advisors, prosecutors, diplomats, tax professionals, economists, solicitors and other professionals working across the Government and the NHS.

2. The FDA (formerly the First Division Association) should be referred to simply as "The FDA" and can be described as "the senior public servants' union".

3. The FDA can be found on Twitter @FDA_union. General Secretary Dave Penman tweets as @FDAGenSec.

4. For more information contact:

FDA Communications Officer Tommy Newell on 07738 729 145 or tommy@fda.org.uk

FDA Communications Officer Scott Dobson on 07727 869 640 or scott@fda.org.uk