“Blacklisting” guidance from the government is instructing civil servants to scour up to five years of social media posts by guest speakers to check if they have “spoken against government policies”.
Scientists, academics, trade experts and a former army colonel believe they have been barred from talking at official events because a list of vetting rules, seen by The Times, is being applied overzealously.
The guidance was drafted by the Cabinet Office to assist civil servants conducting due diligence for diversity events in Whitehall. But it appears to have been misused by various departments to determine if potential speakers have shared “adverse commentary” that “would contravene impartiality”.
The officials are made to review a “minimum of five to ten” internet search page results for each
