Whistleblower sacked for upsetting ministers

[muriel_volestrangler]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,2761-1198086,00.html

THE civil servant whose exposure of a visa scandal led to the resignation of Beverley Hughes, the immigration minister, has been sacked for “embarrassing ministers”.
...
Moxon was told of his dismissal in a letter last week from Steve Barnett, head of human resources at the IND. Barnett told him that he had failed to follow Whitehall rules obliging civil servants “to exercise care in the use of information to avoid embarrassment to ministers”. Barnett said Moxon had disclosed “official information without prior authority”. He accused him of breaking his contract with the Home Office.

This weekend Moxon said he was confident that he would win his case for unfair dismissal. Lawyers from his union, the Public and Commercial Services Union, have concluded that his disclosures were legally protected by the Public Interest Disclosure Act, introduced by Labour in 1998.

When the act came into force Ian McCartney, then a trade minister and now Labour party chairman, said: “Conscientious and public-spirited workers should not be penalised for exposing wrongdoing at work.”

Aaaarrrgghhh! "Embarrassing ministers!" Anyone who has the capability of embarrassing the Labour government should be given an award - they have so little shame it's damn near impossible.