Civil Service chief emails staff in effort to calm Patel ‘bullying’ row

BRITAIN’S top civil servant has intervened in the Priti Patel “bullying” row to demand a halt to “unattributable briefings” that are “besmirching” the reputation of the Government. In a rare email to the UK’S 430,000 civil servants, Sir Mark Sedwill warned that leaks about “tensions within Whitehall” were a distraction and called for a return to “candour, confidentiality and courtesy” between ministers, special advisers and officials.

His move follows days of briefing and counter-briefing after unnamed Home Office sources accused Ms Patel of bullying officials – claims strongly rebutted – and her permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam was criticised for “obstructing” and “undermining” successive home secretaries.

It will also be seen as a rebuke to Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s chief adviser, and his allies after a series of briefings attacking civil servants and rows over the alleged bullying of special advisers. Sir Mark, the head of the Civil Service, said: “You will have seen recent stories of tensions within Whitehall sparked by unattributable briefings and leaks to the media.

“This besmirches this country’s hard won reputation for good governance and is a distraction from the vital work of the thousands of civil servants delivering the Government’s agenda and the public services on which our citizens rely.”

He added that civil servants and ministers should be confident that advice would remain private and that everyone would adhere to the high standards set out in the Civil Service, special adviser and ministerial code. His comments came as Theresa Villiers, former environment secretary, said the briefings against Ms Patel were misogyny.

Downing Street said the Prime Minister had “full confidence” in the Home Secretary after “baseless” claims that security chiefs did not trust her with some intelligence.