RSPB hit with mass mutiny after Syrian refugee embroiled in 'diversity agenda' row with sacked ex-manager

But he was suspended over allegations he mistreated a Syrian refugee colleague, Dr Ibrahim Alfarwi, like a modern-day slave.

Dr Alfarwi was subsequently handed Coquet Island - which sparked a severe backlash, with colleagues calling the sacked manager a "truly devoted" worker who treated his staff "like family".

Morrison, who has denied the claims, was then reportedly paid out a sum of damages after a lengthy legal battle with the RSPB, an investigation by The Telegraph revealed.

The row has led one volunteer to accuse the charity of pushing a "diversity agenda" by replacing a so-called "privileged old English white man".

Tory peer Lord Ridley, who regularly visits the nesting island, said he was "shocked" by Dr Morrison's treatment.

He said: "For us Northumbrians, the thriving bird colony on Coquet Island is a very special place: roseate terns breed nowhere else in Britain, and Paul Morrison had found ways to increase their numbers fivefold, a remarkable achievement.

"When I was a trustee of the island's owners, I was able to visit the island annually and I am shocked by the way Paul has been treated."

MORE WOKE MADNESS:

• M&S sparks furious trans row after advertising girls’ first bras for ‘young things’
• National Trust pushes through woke vegan overhaul of cafes despite backlash from members
• Justin Welby under fire for 'abandoning Church doctrine' over same-sex relationships

Dr Morrison - who has been a life member of the RSPB for 40 years - claimed he had to face down a barrage of allegations of "unacceptable behaviour" and "when one allegation was disproved, along came the next one".

In September 2022, he was called to a meeting with bosses who told him he had been working illegal hours and had not made proper arrangements for Dr Alfarwi to take time off and leave the island for two months.

But the time, Coquet Island was battling an avian flu outbreak which had already killed 5,000 birds and left volunteers almost at breaking point from the heavy workload - while the weather was also making routine journeys to the mainland harder than usual.

The RSPB allegedly said Dr Morrison was "controlling, coercive and manipulative", and he was reportedly falsely accused of drinking while operating heavy machinery.

But he was suspended for failing to help Dr Alfarwi leave the island - then, the following January, the RSPB launched a second disciplinary process against Dr Morrison over an alleged failure to follow the correct bird flu procedures.

Dr Morrison disputed this, saying it had happened before bird flu had been confirmed on the island - and that he had followed guidelines.

He was sacked in March 2023, and other volunteers quit in support.

One long-term volunteer, Hilary Brooker-Carey, who worked on Coquet Island for more than three decades - but left after Dr Morrison's departure - said she thought the accusations were "hard to believe", labelling them "obviously untrue".

Then, after Dr Morrison was sacked, video footage emerged of Dr Alfarwi chasing and stepping on the tail of a bird thought to have avian flu.

He allegedly wrung its neck and bashed its skull against a rock - but he claimed he was told by the then-still-in-charge Dr Morrison to "end its suffering".

The RSPB cleared Dr Alfarwi of wrongdoing, but Dr Morrison said he did not tell him to kill the bird.

An RSPB spokesman said: "It is correct that this individual no longer works for us. The RSPB takes pride in being an organisation committed to ensuring that all employees and volunteers are treated fairly and reasonably.

"We will not be making further comment on issues relating to previous members of staff."