Home Office staff offered 'trigger support' to help them deal with slavery 'trauma', GB News investigation reveals

The 'triggers' can take the form of an image, video clip, audio clip, or piece of text.

The guidance features a section called “Trigger Support” that describes a trigger as “a reminder of a past trauma” that “can cause a person to feel overwhelming sadness, anxiety, or panic… [or] cause someone to have flashbacks”.

The training document, seen by GB News, outlines support available to Home Office staff, including several free helplines which can be called “any time of the day or night, 365 days a year”.

Robert Bates, Director of Research at the Centre for Migration Control, told GB News: “If Home Office staff are 'triggered' by just the mention of slavery then they do not have what it takes to work in government.”

“What should 'trigger' Home Office staff is their utter failure to control Britain’s borders.

“Instead of wasting time on diversity training or calling employee helplines, they should be totally focussed on their core missions: to end illegal migration, reduce legal migration and keep Britain safe.”

The Home Office training continued: “If you feel you would benefit from additional support, please make use of the wellbeing and staff support available, including the Employee Assistance Programme”.

The department’s training programme aims to “foster inclusive environments within the Home Office” and promote diversity and inclusion to civil servants.

Civil servants are asked to “think about [their] understanding of diversity and inclusion and explore the benefits of it in terms of fostering a sense of belonging”.

The Home Office also asked staff to: “Think about the statement, 'to me, diversity and inclusion are[...]’”.

The news comes after the Home Office was criticised for pushing a series of “woke” policies.

Last year the department was denounced for allowing Border Force staff to wear LGBT rainbow epaulettes and for giving civil servants both male and female security passes to allow them to change their gender daily.

GB News can also reveal that the Home Office’s intranet page for civil servants advertises a series of external social events to staff, including “Queer Chat and Craft”, “Where are all the lesbians?”, “LesBiDo”, described as being a social group for Lesbian and Bisexual women, “Queer Book Club”, “Lesbian Speed Dating”, “Gay Girls Social Sunday Meet Up”, and “LGBT+ Learning Disabilities Group”.

The department’s intranet also features official Whitehall LGBT events for civil servants held throughout February and March 2024, such as “Civil Service LGBT + Network Manchester History Walk”, “Coming Out at Work: Mental Health Impact”, “LGBT Liverpool Coffee morning” and “End of History Month Quiz”; the events were held during office hours.

Bates of the CMC said: “One wonders if Home Office civil servants ever get time to do their day jobs while attending these various bizarrely inappropriate events across the country.

“Why are these being advertised on official government websites?

“The department is dysfunctional and has forgotten its purpose. Officials should be working on ramping up deportations and cutting illegal and legal migration, not attending LGBT history walks.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We keep our diversity and inclusion policies and programmes under constant review to ensure they meet the needs and priorities of the department and our people.

"We make no apology for ensuring staff who deal with challenging topics are fully supported."