Home > News > FDA President’s path to the union

FDA President’s path to the union

Katherine Hutchinson speaks with the FDA’s newly elected President for 2026-2028, Leila Kelly, about her path to the union and what she considers to be the FDA’s biggest challenges during her Presidency.

Leila Kelly says personal experiences motivated her to pursue a career in public service, starting out in local government: “I grew up in the northeast of England in a single parent family. For a few years, we were on what was the equivalent of Universal Credit, and things were quite tough. I wanted to make sure that people in that situation were able to access the services they were entitled to and were treated with respect when they did so. So, after university, I decided that I’d look into welfare rights work.

“I started out working for a local authority, assessing housing and council tax benefit. Then I did advice work for a few years, advising on entitlement to benefits and housing rights. I had a very brief stint managing accommodation for homeless people, which is a tough job because you have vulnerable people in difficult situations and very limited resources with which to help them. It also made me appreciate that almost anyone can find themselves in that situation.”

At 30, Kelly says she realised she wanted a change in direction, deciding to go travelling to take some time to think about where she wanted to go in her career: “I thought, what I really like is using the law to solve problems for people. So, I’ll go and train as a solicitor.

“I had studied politics at university and was really interested in the rule of law, and the relationship between public bodies and individuals. And if you’re interested in that, one of the best places to work as a lawyer is in the government. Also, I’m a real believer in public service and giving something back.”

Her career as a lawyer in the civil service began in the then Department of Communities and Local Government, later working for the Government Legal Department (GLD) as an adviser for the then Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), followed by the Treasury, where she works now.

Kelly joined the FDA after being introduced to the union during an induction session for legal trainees. She became an active member during a machinery of government transfer from BEIS into GLD, and she became GLD’s Branch Convenor shortly after the transfer:

“I think the two things I’m most proud of from the time that I was there were: one, we changed the maternity leave policy in GLD so women to go back to the same job if they take more than six months maternity leave, unless they want to move to a new role… I know people who were forced to change role under the old policy, and I had a lot of friends who were very anxious during maternity leave or only took six months because of it, and we changed that. So now women don’t have to worry about it.

“Secondly, after writing letters to and holding a meeting with the Treasury Solicitor, secured overtime for Grade 6s and Grade 7s in GLD, which we previously hadn’t had.”

Kelly stood down as GLD Branch Convenor after five years in the position, going on to take up a role on the FDA’s national Executive Committee (EC) representing the union’s Lawyers’ Network: “I’m really grateful to have had that opportunity because I work in UK government departments advising ministers, and I think publicly, people think that that’s who the FDA is for – Whitehall mandarins, to use a very old-fashioned expression.

“And then you get on the EC and you realise that’s not true. We’ve got members in all the devolved governments, we’ve got prosecutors, we’ve got tax inspectors, we’ve got people delivering services to the public, Ofsted inspectors, managers in the NHS. All these people work across the UK in very different roles. And that was an eye-opener for me, in terms of who we represent.

“Lots of members that you talk to, they’re very proud of what they do, because what they do is get the money in to pay for schools and hospitals, they provide services to people, they protect the public from harm. And they’re doing tough jobs. They’re not necessarily very well paid for it. They’ve got a lot of pride for it, because what they do is serve the public.”

Leila Kelly

FDA President

Lots of members that you talk to…they’re doing tough jobs. They’re not necessarily very well paid for it. They’ve got a lot of pride for it, because what they do is serve the public.

Looking at the biggest challenge currently facing the civil service, Kelly points to attacks on civil service impartiality: “impartiality matters to me because as civil servants, we’re there to give the best advice possible for ministers, and it’s for people who are elected to make the decisions. But you’ve got to speak truth to power.

“They’ve got a right to make an informed decision. Our role is to provide the information so they can do that.

“I think there’s a fundamental misunderstanding of what the role of civil servants is. There’s this narrative that we’re here to undermine elected representatives or the government, and that’s not the case. I’ve never seen that in my job. It’s our job to give advice to ministers and then to implement the decisions that are made, and we do that. But people seem to think, unless you truly believe, you can’t do that job. And I think it is exactly the opposite because if you ‘truly believe’, you don’t see the risks or the weaknesses, and you don’t give the best advice.”

Kelly says a key priority she has entering her term as FDA President is the union’s work on the ongoing pensions crisis, as well as its long-term campaigning on pay:

“There are a lot of people who’ve worked very hard all their lives to deliver public services who are now wanting to retire or have been bereaved or are ill, and there was a promise that was made to them. It’s been broken. And so that’s an immediate priority, improving terms and conditions and pay, and doing everything we can to get the government to fix the pensions problem.”

In her spare time, Kelly sings with a folk choir, although she says not as often as she would like. She is planning some cycling trips over the summer and enjoys sailing when she can.   

Kelly’s message to those considering joining a union is clear: “You never know when things are going to go wrong at work.

“I’ve met lots of people who are now thriving at work and doing a really great job, who have told me that in the past they had a really difficult time at work, and thought about quitting their job, but the support they had from the FDA then enabled them to be who they are now.

“Nobody expects that to happen to them. And I hope it never happens to anyone I know, but work is not always a benign environment. You need support when things go wrong.

Kelly adds that “If you’re not happy with your terms and your conditions or your working arrangements, you as an individual have very little power over that… If you’re a union member, you’ve got that leverage. Things like defending the civil service, defending impartiality, we can’t do that as individuals. We can’t speak publicly about those sorts of things, but the union can, and I think that’s important.”

Leila Kelly

FDA President

Things like defending the civil service, defending impartiality, we can’t do that as individuals. We can’t speak publicly about those sorts of things, but the union can, and I think that’s important.

What is the FDA Executive Committee?

The FDA’s Executive Committee (EC) is the FDA’s governing body, elected to represent each of the union’s constituencies. The committee ensures that decisions taken at the FDA’s Annual Delegate Conference (ADC) are put into action, so that the views and priorities of members guide everything the union does.  

The EC looks after the union’s affairs throughout the year between ADCs, meeting with the General Secretary and other full time FDA staff at least six times a year. Elections for EC positions are held every other year before ADC. The most recent election took place earlier this year, with successful nominees appointed for two-year terms.

For more on the EC and your representatives, visit Public sector governance | The FDA Trade Union

          Latest news