Senior government advisor Stephen Parkinson has been strongly criticised by members of the LGBT+ community for outing 24-year-old whistleblower Shahmir Sanni.
Parkinson's decision to make a public statement revealing his romantic relationship with Sanni appears to be retribution for claims Sanni has made about the Vote Leave campaign and Parkinson's role in breaking electoral spending rules.
The statement was first released on a blog then distributed by the No 10 press office. If PM Theresa May doesn't take decisive action, this sets a dangerous new precedent for the how the government responds to whistleblowers.
The implications of being outed extend beyond Sanni to the rest of his family. As the UK Home Office reported in 2016, the ramifications for being LGBT+ in Pakistan include violence and expulsion. Sanni's lawyer said: "My client is now having to come out to his mother and family tonight, and members of his family in Pakistan are being forced to take urgent protective measures to ensure their safety."
The outing is a reckless violation of privacy. May is now under pressure from both Labour and Conservative MPs to remove Parkinson from his position.
Parkinson's willingness to put citizens at risk and disregard their rights makes him unfit for office. Please sign this petition to demand that Theresa May sacks Stephen Parkinson.