FOREIGN Office mandarins were “in tears” after the Brexit vote, a top official has claimed – with the Whitehall department in a “state of mourning”.
Lord McDonald, former Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, also revealed that he told ministers and civil servants he voted Remain.
He made the shocking admission in an interview for Laura Kuenssberg’s new BBC 2 series State of Chaos.
Describing the atmosphere in the Foreign Office after the vote, Lord McDonald said: “The main feeling in the Foreign Office building was of mourning.
“People were in tears. People were in shock”
He added: “On this occasion, this solitary occasion I decided to tell my colleagues and therefore let ministers know that I voted to remain in the European Union.
“I felt that they would assume that in any case. So I decided to embrace it.”
The Civil Service code says that officials must be impartial and keep quiet about their political views.