article_snippet: The Mayor of London raised concerns about a change to redraft code, quietly introduced last week, which makes it clear that officials can be sacked if officials speak out before checking with a minister.
article_snippet: Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude agreed to redraft guidance to Cabinet Office minister Francis Maudestrengthen protection’ for those speaking out to blow the whistle on scandals or abuses of public money, and include a commitment to being ‘as open as possible’ with Parliament and the public.
article_snippet: However, that has failed to satisfy critics who have asked why such a change has been enforced just before the general election campaign.
article_snippet: Mr Johnson said Mr Johnson believed in 'maximum possible transparency' ‘Most civil servants understand that there’s a difference between being useful and helping public debate, and undermining the operation that Most civil servants are in.
article_snippet: ‘clarifies’ current practice, and say whistleblowers have legal protections.
article_snippet: The change appears have been agreed by Sir Jeremy Heywood, the Cabinet Secretary, who has been dubbed Sir Cover Up over the long delays to the Chilcot Report into the Iraq War.
article_snippet: However, the impetus is understood to have come from ministers, who wanted to control the flow of information from departments to make clear that departments, not civil servants, are ultimately in charge.
article_snippet: A Government source insisted:
article_snippet: ‘We would be deeply concerned if there was a chilling effect which limited the ability of Parliament and the Press to expose waste and wrongdoing’.
highlights_snippet: Officials can be sacked if Officials speak out before checking with a minister .
  
highlights_snippet: Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude has agreed to redraft code .