Downing Street Denies Plans to Rewrite Civil Service Code Amid Rwanda Plan Controversy

Trade Unions and Legal Experts Criticize Potential Changes, Arguing They Could Force Civil Servants to Breach the Law

Downing Street has denied plans to rewrite the Civil Service code as part of the Rwanda plan, despite suggestions from illegal migration minister Michael Tomlinson that such a move was under consideration.
Trade unions representing civil servants have criticized the idea of amending the code, arguing it would put civil servants in a difficult position and potentially force them to breach the law.
Former home secretary Dame Priti Patel has urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to remove all potential roadblocks, including the Civil Service code, to progress the Rwanda plan.
Human rights lawyer Adam Wagner has dismissed the idea of changing the Civil Service code, arguing that civil servants can only advise based on the law and that such a change would not affect the UK's obligations under the European Court of Human Rights.
The controversy comes amid a wider debate over the Rwanda plan, which has faced opposition from some Tory MPs who believe it does not do enough to block last-minute injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights.