Sir Olly Robins telling the Select Committee that he and his staff had been put under pressure to security clear Mandelson and others – A masterclass in whistleblowing and why the law does not work.
The #MandyGate saga is turning into something much bigger than other scandals, indeed it seems on course to eclipses everything that’s gone before.
Sir Kier took up office committed to transparency making Hillsborough Law a flagship only to put National Security as a defence against these commitments. What has transpired is that National Security was far from the issue, instead it was the sweeping aside of National Security in favour of a discredited Labour Favourite with dodgy friends in high places.
What has happened since this scandal started puts #Partygate and the shortcomings of successive leaders – all of whom the PM has seen fit to lambast from the despatch box and openly call for their resignations firmly in the shadows. This is not to suggest that prior political failures are ok but to say that failing to have in place proper legislation that protects and acts of whistleblowing disclosures has allowed this to happen.
This scandal highlights why politicians once in power need but don’t like whistleblowers. What we are all witnessing is an everyday whistleblowing story demonstrating that no matter where a whistleblower is in the hierarchy, like #OllyRobins, they experience the same cycle of abuse for raising what many others know to be true. First they are gaslit after speaking up about genuine Public Interest issues, then they are scrutinised and found to be flawed before being dismissed.
One thing is certain, this is one of very few cases that are likely to need an Employment Tribunal to settle the claim that is inevitably on the cards as indicated by Sir Olly’s reluctance to disclose certain information.
The court of public opinion led in the Commons by Diane Abbott the Mother of the House, makes very clear the public is concerned more about transparency than process – which we can all see has failed spectacularly. This case demonstrates what every whistleblowers knows process can be manipulated and ‘interpreted’ to suit the power of those wielding it as has been witnessed and widely reported in the press over recent weeks and months.
Sadly too many whistleblowers do not get the opportunity to share their evidence with a select committee but like Sir Olly still pay a very high price; their jobs, their privacy, their family, their home and their health. This does not devalue them or the wrongdoing and cover ups they expose and they all deserve to be recognised, respected and where appropriate properly compensated. Proper restitution must be part of reform and must not be a burden on the employment tribunal because whistleblowing is not an employment issue.
Next time the Government talks about a duty of candour and #OfficeOfTheWhistleblower perhaps the politicians will take up the opportunity to put transparency, fairness and protection of the Public Interest above self interest by adopting our proposals that make it safe to speak up and provide a safety net for every citizen.
Office of the Whistleblower – Long title (drafted by WhistleblowersUK)
A Bill to establish an independent Office of the Whistleblower to protect whistleblowers and whistleblowing; to make provision for the Office of the Whistleblower to set, monitor and enforce standards for the management of whistleblowing cases, to provide disclosure and advice services, to direct whistleblowing investigations and to order redress of detriment suffered by whistleblowers; and for connected purposes.
For this and more discussions about whistleblowing join us for #WhistleblowingAwarenessMonth2026
We have a host of excellent speakers and contributions from around the world who all agree that what we are proposing makes sense.
email:Secretary@wbuk.org for more details
