EU civil servants can stand to become MPs or MEPs, why can’t UK civil servants?

In recent elections, both the General Election or the European Election, Liberal Democrat candidates have included officials or civil servants working for EU institutions in Brussels.

There is no restriction on them standing in these elections. I saw many of them do an excellent job.

On the other hand, UK civil servants are generally banned from standing as candidates to be MP or MEPs.

Isn't it time to address this inconsistency and relax the rules that mean civil servants cannot be chosen by their peers to represent them in our parliaments?

Some of the UK's most talented, dedicated, civic minded citizens work as civil servants.

These are people who work for parts of the national government. They might work in a Whitehall office building. for say the Ministry of Defence or Foreign Office or Department for Health, or in another part of the country. They might work in the JobCentre or for HMRC. They might work indoors or outside for the Forestry Commission or the Environment Agency. They might work at the Charity Commission, the Land Registry ot the National Archives.

All of these people frequently have skills that would make them ideal candidates for public office. But generally speaking (the rules vary for department to department) they are barred from standing for the UK Parliament and European Parliament.

Many of them cannot stand even if they are not otherwise politically restricted. I don't mind if my car mechanic or my doctor canvasses for a political party and I don't mind if the person who might help me at the JobCentre does either.

The basis for this rule is often holding "an office for profit under the Crown" going back to the days when the monarch was politically active and the public did not want the Commons to contain king's men, whose independence was compromised by government money coming into their pockets.

This rule is slightly meaningless today. A candidate cannot be allowed to be an employee of Her Majesty's Government but can own a company that does work for and thereby receives funds from the Crown.

UK civil servants can stand if the are willing to resign their job (not just take a leave of absence) with no right of reappointment should they not be elected.

This is an inconsistency that should not be allowed to continue.

* Antony Hook was #2 on the South East European list in 2014, is the English Party's representative on the Federal Executive and produces this sites EU Referendum Roundup.