Former Foreign Office chief admits telling colleagues he voted to stay in EU

McDonald told the BBC he revealed his vote to convey to colleagues ‘that their personal feelings were beside the point’. Photograph: Stuart Powell/BBC/PA

The former top Foreign Office civil servant has acknowledged revealing to colleagues – including government ministers – that he voted to remain in the EU during the 2016 referendum.

Simon McDonald said he was speaking to colleagues shocked at the result in an effort to maintain credibility by stressing they must deliver the government’s policies, regardless of their personal views.