By IRNA,
London : The National Bullying Helpline (NBH) was condemned by other charities for confirming complaints of bullying by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, saying it was a breach of confidentiality.
The Helplines Association said it was “very disappointed” by the breach and would be writing to the Charities Commission regulatory body about disclosing the alleged complaints made by Brown’s staff.
“This is a breach of confidence on a big scale,” said chief executive of The Helplines Association, Rekha Wadhwani, warning that the breach may stop callers ringing helplines.
Another anti-bullying charity, Bullying UK, published a statement on its website also condemning the NBH, saying it was hard to imagine a more serious breach of confidentiality.
“We’re disgusted and upset and we’re writing to the Charity Commission today to complain about the National Bullying Helpline,” it said.
Professor Cary Cooper from Lancaster University Management School announced Monday that he would be stepping down as patron of the charity following the breach.
The Charity Commission, which acts as the government’s watchdog, said it had received more than a dozen complaints about the disclosures and would speak to NBH, but add that it was unsure whether it had a role.
The confirmation of complaints came after the publication of a new book on the prime minister by Observer journalist Andrew Rawnsley alleged that Brown bullied his staff.
Coming just before the UK’s general election, opposition Conservative leader David Cameron called for an inquiry into the allegations by bullying.
The Lib Dems also said the claims should be “cleared up”, but speaking for the government, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson claimed that the allegations were unfounded and were part of a “political operation”.