‘Furious’ MI5 bosses deny Patel relations have soured
THE Security Service has been dragged into the internal war between Priti Patel and her top civil servant as officials issued an unprecedented denial that it “did not trust her”.
Unnamed sources were quoted at the weekend claiming MI5 officers had reduced the volume of intelligence they showed the Home Secretary because they did not “have confidence in her abilities”.
Sir Philip Rutnam, the Home Office Permanent Secretary, is suspected by allies of Ms Patel of sanctioning briefings against her after she sought to have him removed amid disagreements over his “obstructive” approach to her.
MI5 officers were said to be “furious” at the claims, in The Sunday Times, and took the highly unusual step of issuing such a strong denial.
“Reports suggesting that the Home Secretary and MI5 do not have a strong relationship are simply untrue,” said a security source. “The Home Secretary is briefed daily on intelligence matters in exactly the same way as any previous post holder. No information is being withheld. Any report suggesting otherwise is simply wrong and does not serve the public interest.”
It came amid news that Amber Rudd, the former home secretary, has filed a complaint, accusing Sir Philip of being “absent” during the Windrush scandal that led to her resignation.
However, a Tory source said: “Rutnam is attempting to discredit a home secretary who is shaking things up a bit, to try to salvage what little is left of his reputation. You can’t blame him for trying, given that he managed to throw Amber under the bus.”
The disagreements went public last week when sources accused Ms Patel of bullying and belittling staff, claims denied by allies of the Home Secretary.
With little sign of the row abating, Ms Patel and Sir Philip attempted last night to draw a line under the affair with a joint statement that criticised the “false allegations” and “malicious gossip”, insisting they were focused on delivering the Government’s agenda. It
came as a former insider claimed Sir Philip “spends his time politicking rather than running the actual department”. “You would sit in meetings with Rutnam, and Priti would ask: ‘Where are you with this issue,’ and he would say: ‘I will have to get back to you on that’,” they said.
He was allegedly so obstructive he was nicknamed “Dr No” and was known for quashing ideas by claiming there was a 70 per cent chance of the Home Office losing a legal challenge.
The insider said the problem was a hangover from Brexit when officials “ran rings round the politicians”. “There’s a clash now because of them being used to doing it their way but suddenly no longer being able to operate that way because of the new regime,” they said. “He is also old school. He got on with Sajid Javid but he had a problem with Amber and Priti. He doesn’t get on with strong women who come in with their own views.”
The Home Office described as “categorically untrue” a claim in The Observer that “major run-ins” between Ms Patel and staff forced the resignation of one of her most senior civil servants on immigration. It said they had resigned before she became Home Secretary.