UK Home office chief Philip quits
London, Feb. 29: The top civil servant in the UK Home Office at the centre of a row over a strained relationship with Indianorigin Home Secretary Priti Patel resigned from his post on Saturday and said he plans to sue the government over his “constructive and unfair” exit. Philip Rutnam, Permanent Secretary in the department led by 47year-old Patel, said there had been a vicious and orchestrated campaign against him over the last
10 days and pointed the finger of blame at the minister. The Home Secretary (Patel) categorically denied any involvement in this campaign to the Cabinet Office.
I regret I do not believe her, he said in a statement. Even despite this campaign, I was willing to effect a reconciliation with the Home Secretary, as requested by the Cabinet Secretary on behalf of the Prime Minister. But despite my efforts to engage with her, Priti Patel has made no effort to engage with me to discuss this, the statement said. Rutnam said his experience formed part of a wider pattern in government and that he plans to take legal action on the grounds of constructive dismissal.
I believe that these events give me very strong grounds to claim constructive, unfair dismissal, and I will be pursuing that claim in the courts. My experience has been extreme, but I consider there is evidence that it was part of a wider pattern of behaviour , his statement adds.
The resignation comes just days after he and Patel had issued a joint statement in an effort to quell media reports of discord within the Home Office. The Home Secretary and Permanent Secretary are deeply concerned about the number of false allegations appearing in the media, a UK Home Office spokesperson said on Monday. —