The FDA has highlighted the double standards of reappointing Suella Braverman as Home Secretary less than a week after being dismissed from the same post for a security breach.
Dave Penman, FDA General Secretary, told Rajeev Syal at the Guardian that “any civil servant who had knowingly shared confidential government information… would face gross misconduct charges and in all likelihood dismissal.” Penman continued that “this is not theoretical” as civil servants have lost their security clearance and been subsequently sacked for deliberately sharing confidential information, as Braverman has admitted doing. “There rightly should be no exceptions when it comes to national security”, argued Penman.
After Braverman made an appearance in the House of Commons to address her dismissal, Penman appeared on ITV News to demonstrate how the Home Secretary’s answers failed to assuage concerns regarding the six times she sent official government documents from her personal email. Speaking to Anushka Asthana, Penman stated that is was “extraordinary that a minister would be… routinely sharing information outside of government” and he insisted that we “can’t have one rule for ministers and one rule for civil servants”.
Yesterday, FDA staff and reps attended the 2026 Fast Stream annual Base Camp, welcoming this year’s new joiners to the scheme and sharing the benefits of FDA membership with them.
The FDA’s National Officer for Northern Ireland Robert Murtagh has written to Speaker of the Assembly, Edwin Poots, asking him to remind MLAs that when officials appear before the Assembly, impartiality must not be brought into question.
If Prime Minister Andy Burnham wants a different political culture, he needs to start with the Ministerial Code says Dave Penman.
