LONDON — Senior officials at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) have told staff to resign if they fundamentally disagree with the government’s policy on Gaza, after more than 300 civil servants signed a letter protesting British arms exports to Israel and the government’s perceived complicity in violations of international law, as reported by Arab News.
The internal letter, addressed to Foreign Secretary David Lammy and signed by embassy staff abroad and employees in London, raised concerns over the UK’s continued arms trade with Israel and its response to alleged war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. Signatories cited Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid and the rising civilian death toll in Gaza, accusing the Israeli government of using starvation as a weapon of war and planning the forcible displacement of the enclave’s population.
In a formal reply, the department’s top civil servants, Nick Dyer and Sir Oliver Robbins, acknowledged the concerns but emphasized the principle of political neutrality within the Civil Service. “If your disagreement with any aspect of government policy or action is profound, your ultimate recourse is to resign,” they wrote. “This is an honourable course.”
The message has deepened discontent among civil servants who see the government as dismissing legitimate ethical concerns. One staffer told the BBC the directive reinforced a “frustration and a deep sense of disappointment that the space for challenge is being further shut down.”
This is the fourth internal protest over UK policy on Gaza since July 2024. Critics say the government risks repeating the mistakes highlighted in the 2016 Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq War, which called for stronger internal mechanisms to challenge institutional groupthink.
A former FCDO official, speaking anonymously, called the response a rhetorical move that offers the government “plausible deniability” for enabling actions that may breach international law.
The UK government maintains it has “rigorously applied international law” in relation to the conflict. A spokesperson said that arms export licenses that could be used in Gaza have been suspended, including for F-35 fighter jet components. However, over 300 licenses remain in effect.
The war in Gaza has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, with widespread displacement and catastrophic humanitarian conditions. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes.
