Father of Civil Servant Says Treasury 'Failed in Duty of Care' Before Her Death

The father of a young civil servant who died after a fraught meeting with her managers has accused the Treasury of a failure of care that "beggars belief," as the department faces urgent calls to reform its internal procedures. Chloe Moffat, 26, a personal assistant to a Treasury director, took her own life on 20 May last year, the day after she was confronted with allegations that she had shared sensitive confidential information about colleagues—claims she vehemently denied. An inquest earlier this month found that the meeting "materially contributed" to her death, and that the Treasury had not applied its own written disciplinary policy, which would have made clear that the likely penalty for such an offence was a written warning, not dismissal.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, David Moffat described the devastating loss of his daughter, who he said had been subjected to a process of "shock and awe." He recounted that Chloe had attended what she believed to be a routine one-to-one meeting with her line manager, only to find a more senior manager present. Her first words, he said, were: "Oh, this must be serious, there's two of you here." During the meeting, Chloe was presented with several allegations and asked repeatedly whether she would lose her job and if she could have a friend present. Both requests, Mr Moffat said, were refused. Following the meeting, she was immediately locked out of her email account.

Mr Moffat said the Treasury had shown "no safeguarding, no support during or after that meeting," and that he did not believe the department had taken responsibility for its part in her death. "It beggars belief that an organisation that is front and central in our government cannot get it right," he said. While he and his wife Anne have received a letter from the Treasury's permanent secretary, James Bowler, and have met with him, Mr Moffat said they were still seeking "redress" and were unsure whether they would pursue further action. "If something positive can come from this unbearable loss that we're suffering, that's all we look to achieve," he said.

A spokesperson for the Treasury offered its "deepest sympathies" to Chloe's friends and family, acknowledging that the department "continues to mourn our colleague." The statement added: "We will learn the lessons from this tragedy. We are working urgently to respond to the coroner's findings and we have introduced immediate changes to our guidance, support and wellbeing arrangements." The department has agreed to meet with Chloe's parents to hear their views and update them on the actions being taken. For a family left with an irreparable void, however, the question remains whether those lessons will be learned in time to prevent another such tragedy.