A civil servant who lost her job after blowing the whistle about the UK’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan has won her case for unfair dismissal against the government.
Josie Stewart, a former senior official who had worked at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for seven years, lost her job after giving an anonymous interview to BBC Newsnight which saw her speak about her “traumatic experiences” working in the Afghanistan Crisis Centre in summer 2021.
Following the Taliban gaining control of Afghanistan, the British government evacuated 15,000 people from Kabul in what was known as Operation Pitting.
Ms Stewart’s security clearance was revoked and she subsequently lost her job after it emerged she revealed failings in the withdrawal, as well as leaking emails suggesting that former prime minister Boris Johnson had prioritised staff from the animal charity Nowzad for evacuation over more deserving cases.
An employment panel of three judges found the FCDO unfairly dismissed Ms Stewart after she leaked information in the public interest.
In a legal first, the tribunal ruled that under whistleblower protection legislation it can be lawful for a civil servant to share unauthorised information directly with the media.
At a hearing which took place last May, counsel for the FCDO Ben Collins KC argued that the right to blow the whistle did not extend to giving security clearance to those with a record of leaking.
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