Treasury Accepts It Contributed to Death of Chloe Moffat After Flawed Disciplinary Meeting

HM Treasury has accepted in full a coroner's finding that its actions "materially contributed" to the death of Chloe Moffat, a 26-year-old personal assistant, and has acknowledged its role in what happened. The response follows an inquest into her suicide the morning after a surprise disciplinary meeting. The Guardian

Moffat had worked at the Treasury for almost three years and had an exemplary employment record. She was called into a meeting over anonymous complaints alleging she had disclosed sensitive information at work, an allegation she denied.

The meeting was described as "informal". Managers gave her no advance notice, declined to allow her to bring a colleague, and refused to tell her whether she was likely to lose her job. Around the same time, her access to her director's email was removed and her work responsibilities were changed.

The coroner, who heard the case in Surrey, found the disciplinary proceedings were flawed. Moffat left the meeting devastated and convinced she would lose her job, and took her own life the next morning. She was found dead by her father. Personnel Today

In August 2026, the coroner concluded the meeting had "materially contributed" to her death, according to the BBC. A prevention of future deaths report warned there was still a risk in the civil service due to its disciplinary procedures.

A Cabinet Office review found that the conditions Moffat was subjected to had been replicated in other disciplinary meetings. In direct response to the inquest findings, the Treasury said it had stopped using informal fact-finding meetings for allegations of potential serious or gross misconduct.

Her parents, David Moffat and Anne Moffat, said they fear lessons will not be learned from her death. They trawled through emails and spoke to her friends and colleagues while pursuing accountability from the department. Her mother said the UK Treasury must change its disciplinary process after her daughter's suicide.

David Moffat said his family wants to know that Treasury managers and HR staff have been held to account. He has previously said there was 'no safeguarding' from the Treasury before Chloe Moffat took her own life. Her parents were due to meet Treasury permanent secretary James Bowler.