Keep Whitehall office disputes behind closed doors, Boris Johnson tells civil servants after Priti Patel was caught up in scandal over ‘bullying’ claims
- Boris Johnson said he has written to every minister and permanent secretary
- The letter tells them there is ‘no place for bullying’ in Whitehall departments
- PM’s letter also stressed importance of ‘keeping internal conversations private’
Boris Johnson has written to every Government minister and civil service mandarin to tell them there is ‘no place for bullying’ in Whitehall in the wake of the Priti Patel report.
The Prime Minister stressed in the letter sent to Tory frontbenchers and each department’s permanent secretary the ‘paramount importance of relationships of mutual trust and respect between politicians and their officials’.
Mr Johnson said that must include ‘keeping internal conversations private’ as he called for departmental rows to stay behind closed doors.
The letter comes after Mr Johnson faced questions over an official inquiry that found Ms Patel bullied staff.
Boris Johnson has written to every minister and permanent secretary to tell them ‘there is no place for bullying’ in Whitehall
The PM’s letter comes after he stood by Home Secretary Priti Patel last week after an official inquiry into her conduct
The Prime Minister was accused of trying to pressure his standards adviser to water down the report.
Downing Street did not deny suggestions that Mr Johnson had tried and failed to convince Sir Alex Allan to tone down his conclusion that the Home Secretary’s behaviour amounted to bullying as he found instances of shouting and swearing.
The adviser quit on Friday when the Prime Minister overruled his conclusion that Ms Patel breached the ministerial code and stood by his Home Secretary.
Mr Johnson and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case today announced they had written to ministers and the heads of Government departments as the PM tries to draw a line under the matter.
In a written ministerial statement to Parliament, Mr Johnson acknowledged Sir Alex’s report had concluded that Ms Patel’s behaviour could ‘on occasion’ be described ‘as bullying in terms of the impact felt by individuals’.
He said: ‘Sir Alex’s advice found that the Home Secretary had become – justifiably in many instances – frustrated by the Home Office leadership’s lack of responsiveness and the lack of support she felt in DfID three years ago.
‘He also found, however, that the Home Secretary had not always treated her civil servants with the consideration and respect that would be expected, and her approach on occasion has amounted to behaviour that can be described as bullying in terms of the impact felt by individuals.’
But Mr Johnson said he had been ‘reassured that the Home Secretary is sorry for inadvertently upsetting those with whom she was working’ and ‘my judgement is that the Ministerial Code was not breached’.
‘Together with the Cabinet Secretary, I have this morning written to all ministers and permanent secretaries,’ he said.
‘This letter sets out the paramount importance of relationships of mutual trust and respect between politicians and their officials.
‘This includes keeping internal conversations private, feeling able to speak freely and honestly about matters of state and to speak constructively about things that are not working so that we can fix them together promptly.
‘I am clear that there is a particular duty on ministers and permanent secretaries to create jointly across government a culture which is professional, respectful, focused and ambitious for change and in which there is no place for bullying.’
He added: ‘I have full confidence in the Home Secretary and consider this matter now closed.’