Officials must indicate in email signatures whether they are male, female or non-binary

A ROW has erupted after government employees were ordered to indicate in email signatures whether they are male, female or non-binary.

Activists for free speech accused the home office with the dictation to break the law and demanded that it be torn up.

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Visa, Status and Information Services employees received an email requesting their pronoun at the bottom of all messages they send.

You must state “he/him” if you are a male, “she/them” if you are a female, or “she/them” if you do not identify as both.

However, the Free Speech Union warned that the order could violate the Equality Act.

It has written to top Home Office official Matthew Rycroft to complain.

She suspects the order came from an “overzealous” manager, but asked for assurances that no worker was “punished” for refusing to follow the order.

Tory MP Tom Hunt said: “The Home Office has far bigger things to worry about than how its staff decide to sign an email.”

The Ministry of the Interior has been asked for comment.