Civil servant in Patel bullying claim settles case

A FORMER top civil servant in the Home Office who launched a dismissal claim after his resignation amid bullying allegations against home secretary Priti Patel has settled his case with the government.

Sir Philip Rutnam resigned as permanent secretary in the department last year. He was being represented by the First Division Association (FDA) civil servants union in a “constructive dismissal” case, which was due to be heard at an employment tribunal later this year.

Patel (left) had denied the bullying claims in the department that were raised by him at the time.

According to reports, the resolution of the case involves an undisclosed financial settlement.

In its statement, the government said it “regrets the circumstances surrounding Sir Philip’s resignation”.

“The government and Sir Philip’s representatives have jointly concluded that it is in both parties’ best interests to reach a settlement at this stage rather than continuing to prepare for an employment tribunal,” a Home Office spokesperson said.

“The government does not accept liability in this matter and it was right that the government defended the case,” the spokesperson added.

In a statement released through the FDA last week, Rutnam said: “I am pleased to say that the government has today settled the claims that I brought against them and which were due to be heard in an employment tribunal in September.

“This settlement resolves my own case. The FDA is continuing to pursue in separate proceedings the wider issues that have been raised. I now look forward to the next stages of my career.”

The high-profile resignation led the Cabinet Office to launch an inquiry into whether Patel had been in breach of the ministerial code.

Patel, who has the backing of prime minister Boris Johnson, apologised and stressed that “any upset caused was completely unintentional”.