Loose cannon

SIR – It is a flaw in Britain’s governing structures that senior civil servants hold as much power as they do, without being properly accountable.

The current situation sees the Secretary of State responsible for Brexit having to fight, not just against the EU’S negotiating team, but also against a civil servant with the ear of the Prime Minister (report, April 30).

Senior civil servants either need to be stripped of their immunity from being held responsible, or must be prevented from frustrating the will of their elected political masters. Phil Coutie Exeter, Devon