NO10 BACKS PRITI
PM hails Patel as ‘fantastic’ after civil servant quits and accuses her of bullying in astonishing live TV address
BORIS Johnson threw a protective arm around Priti Patel last night as she faced a backlash over bullying allegations.
The Prime Minister gave the Home Secretary his full support in her role in ‘one of the toughest jobs in government’ – despite her being dragged into an extraordinary public row with her top official.
‘I obviously do have confidence in Priti Patel,’ he said. ‘She is a fantastic Home Secretary.’
In a bombshell resignation statement on Saturday, Sir Philip Rutnam said he was quitting as Permanent Secretary at the Home Office because of a ‘vicious’ campaign against him orchestrated by Miss Patel.
Sir Philip, 54, called in news cameras as he delivered an unprecedented statement, accusing his former boss of being a liar and a bully.
He also said he was suing the Government for constructive dismissal.
Labour called for an inquiry into the row, and said Miss Patel should be suspended. But No10 made it clear that she had the PM’s full support.
One source said: ‘He has total confidence in her. She is doing a great job, driving through real change on the Government’s priorities.’
Senior Tories also rallied round. Heath Secretary Matt Hancock told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 yesshe’s terday: ‘Priti is a very determined Home Secretary. She is probably closer to where the public are on issues of law and order than any home secretary in recent history. I also think she is extremely courteous.’
Former transport minister Nusrat Ghani suggested there was a hint of sexism about complaints against Miss Patel, telling Sky News: ‘It’s curious that if you’re providing leadership, if you’re determined, working at a fantastic pace, within men that is seen as a fantastic skill and for women sometimes it’s seen as challenging.’
One insider noted that while Sir Philip had a good relationship with Sajid Javid, he fell out with both his female bosses at the Home Office – Miss Patel and Amber Rudd.
Labour is pushing for Miss Patel to make a statement to Parliament today. Sir Keir Starmer, the party’s leadership favourite, called on Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill to set up an inquiry into claims that Miss Patel’s conduct included ‘shouting and swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands’.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell called for her to be suspended during any inquiry, adding: ‘It’s bizarre... when you get a civil servant going public like this, it’s unprecedented. I can’t remember a case like this.
‘So there must be something pretty bad that’s gone on. It looks as though on the way out.’ Sir Philip’s resignation followed weeks of toxic briefings and counter-briefings at the Home Office.
Relations finally collapsed last week after it was suggested that the security services did not trust Miss Patel enough to give her full intelligence briefings – a claim that MI5 took the rare step of denying.
Sir Mark was then called in to broker
‘His leadership was non-existent’
a ‘dignified departure’ for Sir Philip. One Whitehall source said that during crisis talks last week Sir Mark conceded that the senior civil servant ‘had a case’.
However, Sir Philip is said to have rejected a ‘generous’ pay-off after he was asked to sign a nondisclosure agreement.
Miss Patel declined to comment yesterday, but is known to be angry about bullying allegations which she insists are untrue.
One ally said hostile briefings to the Press started after she asked tough questions about the Home
Office’s handling of the Windrush scandal, which unfolded while Sir Philip was in charge. ‘She finds it more than a coincidence that these ridiculous bullying allegations started straight after she began asking difficult questions about Windrush,’ the ally added.
Miss Patel is said to have felt Sir Philip tried to undermine her. He is once believed to have asked the then security minister Brandon Lewis to present the Home Office’s views on Brexit at Cabinet after Miss Patel rejected his advice.
Officials who worked with Miss
Rudd, who lost her job over the Windrush scandal, were also scathing about him.
One said: ‘The idea that Rutnam is an innocent victim is quite extraordinary.
‘On his watch, the Home Office systematically leaked and briefed against a home secretary, making her position untenable while he hid from the action. His leadership was non-existent.’
But a Whitehall source sympathetic to Sir Philip said he would not have gone public with his legal claim unless he was certain of his ground, adding: ‘Philip knows what he is doing. There is no way he would have brought a legal case and made the claims he has unless he is confident he has material against her to prove his case.’
Another official said: ‘If Philip Rutnam was saying something she didn’t like, there was usually a bloody good reason to say it.
‘If the Home Secretary is told something can’t be done... civil servants aren’t trying to protect themselves – it is because what she wants would lead to chaos.’