What are some fundamental values a civil servant should possess to maintain political neutrality?

Civil servants are the backbone of the UK government, working to implement policies and provide essential services. To ensure the government functions fairly and effectively for everyone, it's crucial that these individuals remain politically neutral. This means they must serve the government of the day, regardless of their own personal political beliefs. Impartiality is absolutely key to this. It means treating everyone fairly and without bias, applying the same rules and standards to all. A civil servant must be able to provide objective advice to ministers and implement policies faithfully, even if they personally disagree with them. This is why impartiality is a fundamental value for civil servants. While a sense of humour might be nice, it doesn't guarantee fair treatment. Corruption and misleading behaviour are, of course, the opposite of what's expected of someone in public service. Impartiality ensures that the civil service remains a trusted and reliable institution, serving the public interest above all else.