Energy minister ‘swore and screamed at civil servants’

A CABINET minister has been accused of bullying after allegedly shouting and swearing at civil servants.

Claire Perry, the energy minister, has been the subject of a series of complaints after allegedly texting a civil servant to say “f--- off ”, and wrote, “What’s this s---?” on a memo produced by staff.

Trade unions have written to the top official in her department to raise concerns about the claims.

The minister has also allegedly sworn and screamed at civil servants, according to The Guardian.

Representatives of three unions representing Whitehall officials wrote a joint letter to Alex Chisholm, permanent secretary at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), citing wider concerns about the behaviour of its ministers.

The letter, from the PCS, FDA and Prospect unions, said the claims had been raised by department staff. They singled out the alleged behaviour of Ms Perry, claiming there had been a series of reports about her.

The unions involved declined to comment. Their letter, sent earlier this month, has not been made public.

Jon Trickett, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, said: “The unions have raised serious allegations, and we’ve got to look into them carefully.

“All ministers, however important, must pay close attention to relations with their staff, and avoid any conduct that could be seen as unprofessional.”

A spokesman for BEIS said: “Like all government departments we are committed to ensuring that our staff are treated with respect. We have clear codes of conduct in place, with high standards expected of all.”

The spokesman added that staff surveys showed BEIS was among the bestperforming departments for the fair treatment of staff.