The then-prime minister, Boris Johnson, was among the important ministerial meetings the senior policy officer attended about the small boat policy.
Her allegations surfaced during a now-completed employment tribunal.
According to her, “the ultra-hostile environment towards unwanted foreigners as both being practical, necessary and gratifying” was the view held by Michael Bourke, the leader of the illegal migration task force, and his deputy directors.
Mr. Bourke has access to official court documents that outline his stance, which is that he treated the former civil servant fairly and that she was “negative and problematic, leading colleagues to feel disrespected, overburdened or undermined” when she was a task force member.
News, a 12-year government servant who served as the task force’s former head of policy, claimed to have made several attempts to steer the discourse away from “prejudice and blame, to objective assessment and accountability.”
