My name is Josie Stewart. I need your help as I try to establish the legal right for civil servants to blow the whistle when the public interest requires it.

I worked at the Department for International Development (DfID) and then the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for seven years. I was sacked last year after blowing the whistle on the truth about the UK's withdrawal from Afghanistan. You can read my story as published on the front page of The Guardian here, and evidence which I gave to Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee here.

Although FCDO’s handling of the Afghanistan evacuation was shameful, I had taken no action until false or at least misleading statements were made to undermine evidence given to Parliament.

It’s normal for civil servants not to feel comfortable with political direction or government incompetence – that’s part of the job. It’s not acceptable for them to be forced to be complicit in government lies.

Why support me?

I want to rebuild the sanctity of truth in government, and I want to help change the culture in government so that civil servants can speak truth to power. I believe that our democracy depends on it.

I also do not want any other civil servant to go through what I have been through. The civil service is packed full of brilliant, passionate, dedicated people, working for all our benefit. 

There has to be a way for them to call out lies and falsehoods, when Parliament and the public are being misled, without losing their jobs. Something has to change.

What am I trying to achieve?

I am taking my case to tribunal because the Public Interest Disclosure Act is vague and there’s almost no precedent for cases like mine. This gives government more power to coerce silence in cases of wrongdoing. It should be clear that civil servants will be protected if, in exceptional circumstances, they make a reasonable decision that the public interest requires disclosure of information.

If I win, my case will clarify critically important whistleblower protection. If I lose, it will make the case for much-needed reform in our legislation so that civil servants can speak truth to power and call out government impropriety. It’s important either way.

What are the next steps in the case?

On 10 March the government filed an application to the court for my case to be heard under Rule 94 National Security proceedings. A decision on this will be taken at a preliminary hearing on 19 April 2023.

My full case is then due to be heard in September. There is much work to be done before then to prepare documentary and witness evidence.

Why am I raising money?

I am represented by an incredible team of lawyers. I have been supported by my barrister, Gavin Millar KC at Matrix Chambers, for over a year already, and he and my legal team at James and West Law have been working on a probono basis all this time. But, as the recent Rule 94 application demonstrates, the government's disproportionate use of powers of the state is increasing both the importance and the complexity of my case. It will drag on, and inevitably there is a limit to how much my legal team can do without at least being able to cover their costs.

Thank you so much.