Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Office
25
November 2025
Unpaid appointment with the UK India Future Forum:
Application under the Business Appointment Rules from Sir Philip Barton GCMG
OBE, former Permanent Under-Secretary, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Office.
Thank you for submitting an application for advice under the
Business Appointment Rules[1] (the
Rules) to the Civil Service Commission (the Commission) on behalf of Sir
Philip Barton GCMG OBE, formerly Permanent Under-Secretary, Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The application is for an unpaid,
part-time role as Co-Chair of the Advisory Board at the UK India Future
Forum (UKIFF). Further detail on the content of the application is in the
Annex. The Commission’s advice is required as Sir Philip is a former civil
servant at SCS Pay Band 4. His last day of service was 17 February 2025.
The purpose of the Rules is to
protect the integrity of the government. They aim to avoid any reasonable
concerns that: a civil servant may be influenced in their official duties by
the risk of reward; a civil servant may improperly exploit access to
information; and an organisation may gain an improper influence through the
employment of a civil servant.
The Commission’s advice is that the
appointment should be made subject to the following conditions:
- Privileged
information – Sir Philip should not draw on (disclose or use for the
benefit of himself or the persons or organisations to which this advice
refers) any privileged information[2] available to him from
his time in the civil service.
- Lobbying –
For two years from his last day in office, until 17 February 2027, Sir
Philip should not become personally involved in lobbying[3]
the UK Government or its arm’s length bodies on behalf of UKIFF (including
parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and clients). He should also not
use, directly or indirectly, his contacts in the government and/or civil
service to influence policy, secure business/funding or otherwise unfairly
advantage UKIFF (including parent companies, subsidiaries, partners and
clients).
- Bids and
contracts – For two years from his last day in the civil service, until 17
February 2027, Sir Philip should not provide advice to UKIFF on a bid or
contract relating to the UK government or its arm’s length bodies.
The Rules set out that civil servants must abide by the
Commission’s advice. It is Sir Philip’s personal responsibility to manage the
propriety of any appointment and to understand any other rules and regulations
they may be subject to in parallel with the Commission’s advice.
Sir Philip must seek advice if he proposes to extend or
otherwise change his role with the organisation. Once this appointment has been
publicly announced or taken up, the letter will be published on the Civil
Service Commission’s website.
Yours sincerely,
Gisela
Stuart
First Civil
Service Commissioner
Annex A: The application
Applicant
assessment
- According to its website, the UK
India Future Forum (UKIFF) facilitates high-level engagement between
business leaders, policymakers and academia from the UK and India to
highlight areas for collaboration and deliver on these opportunities.
- As Co-Chair of the Advisory
Board, Sir Philip will:
● Advise the Chair, CEO and Director on
UKIFF’s direction and priorities.
● Offer strategic insight on
sector-specific issues relevant to UKIFF’s programmes.
● Support UKIFF’s engagement with
stakeholders.
- Sir Philip stated that his role
will not involve contact with, or lobbying of, government. He will
participate in UKIFF events at which FCDO and other government officials
and ministers will also be present.
- As Permanent Under-Secretary at
the FCDO, Sir Philip was:
● Responsible for overall leadership,
management, and performance.
● The department’s Principal Accounting
Officer accountable to Parliament.
● Head of the Diplomatic Service,
leading all UK Ambassadors, High Commissioners, and diplomats globally.
- Sir Philip said he has not been
responsible for regulatory, funding or any other decisions affecting UKIFF
at any time in his last two years in the civil service.
CSC
analysis
- Application level. As a Level 1 application for an
unpaid role, the Commission's analysis applies the principle that this
category of appointment is generally recognised as posing a lower risk to
government integrity.
- Risk of reward. The role of Co-Chair, Advisory
Board at UKIFF is unpaid. Sir Philip stated he had no involvement in policy
development, decisions, or contractual/commercial decisions affecting
UKIFF while at the FCDO. Therefore, the risk that the offer was made as a
reward for decisions made during his time in office is low.
- Access to information. Sir Philip would have had access
to a wide range of information from his former role. UKIFF facilitates
high-level engagement between business leaders, policymakers, and academia
from the UK and India. There is a risk that Sir Philip's privileged
knowledge could be exploited for the benefit of strategic insight or to
unfairly inform the policy or commercial discussions that UKIFF is
designed to facilitate. The risk is mitigated by the fact that eight
months have passed since his last day in civil service, reducing the
currency of any information he may still hold. The standard condition
regarding privileged information covers any remaining risks presented by
his access to information.
- Improper influence. Sir Philip would retain contacts
in government, which could be used to provide an unfair advantage.
However, the role is unpaid and Sir Philip stated that there will be no
contact with government, although he would attend events with government
officials present. The standard conditions, which would prevent the
improper use of his government contacts to unfairly benefit the
organisation, would sufficiently mitigate the risks.