ARROGANT, RUDE, SEXIST (AND AT TIMES BARELY LITERATE): THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE: WE ALL DESERVE BETTER MUCH, MUCH BETTER

My “litigator’s New Year’s resolution” for 2019 was to recommend that everyone read more of Emily Dugan’s work on exposing the impact of the cuts at the Ministry of Justice. When I wrote the “resolution” I could not have conceived of the emails that Buzzfeed have now obtained.  I recommend that everyone keep on reading.  Recent developments provide a remarkable insight into the way in which the MOJ appears more concerned with its own reputation than serving and protecting the rule of law.

THE STORY

Remember this is the Ministry of Justice. The department charged with care of our legal system. Emily Dugan was making totally lawful requests for information as to the research that the MOJ had carried out on the impact of LASPO. The MOJ served a short report. In fact a longer report existed which showed that the judiciary, in particular, were highly critical of the impact of LASPO. It is arguable that the MOJ were breaching the law and a complaint is ongoing.

RUDE, ARROGANT AND SEXIST EMAILS

Read the Buzzfeed article, the title gives it away,  “Ministry Of Justice Staff Called A BuzzFeed Journalist “Crazy” And A “Bitch” After She Published A Leaked Report”

THE KEY QUOTES

The MOJ have disclosed (heavily redacted) emails between its staff.

“MoJ staff say in one online chat, “Yeah she’s a real bitch”, “And a but crazy reallt [sic]”.

An article, written after the full report was obtained, referred to an email from a member of MOJ staff which denied that the full report existed.

The subsequent article included conversations and an email with an MoJ press officer who had insisted the previous week that this substantive report did not exist. In the online chat, one staff member says “it’s shitty of her to quote the emails”.

Other key quotes

“such a roague email in that peice”

AND THE MOJ APPEARS PROUD OF THE COVER UP

Buzzfeed reports that the MOJ appeared proud of its ability to prevent publicity about its own shortcomings.

“After receiving follow-up calls from other news outlets wanting to cover the leaked report, the press office boasted in a weekly media summary of successfully dissuading other reporters from covering it: “Through strong briefing we successfully knocked down the majority of the reports aiming to replicate BuzzFeed’s accusation of lying and covering-up. We issued a reactive line to those who were interested in reporting the judges’ comments, which were included in the draft report. We also briefed No 10 ahead of lobby, thereby giving the PM’s spokesman lines to knock the story down for Lobby journalists, containing the story further.”