Boris Johnson accused of trying to ‘tone down’ report on Priti Patel bullying

Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has been accused of effectively trying to whitewash a report that found Home Secretary, Priti Patel, of bullying.

Top Home Office civil servant quits in a fit of emotion

The effective boss of the Home Office has quit in dramatic fashion and in the process made the position of the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, more precarious than ever.

According to the BBC, a Whitehall source informed the state broadcaster that the ministerial standards adviser, Sir Alex Allan, had “resisted pressure” to make the findings of a report into Patel’s behavior more “palatable”.

The BBC’s allegation follows claims that the PM “tried and failed” to persuade Allan to “toner down” his findings that Patel’s behavior amounted to bullying, including many instances of shouting and swearing at her staff. 

In summary, Allan’s report concluded that the Home Secretary’s conduct had “fallen below” the standards expected of government ministers.

In short, Patel had breached the Ministerial Code over a sustained period.

The Ministerial Code is a government document setting out “expected standards” of behavior in public office, notably “consideration and respect” for civil servants and other staff.

However, Allan was forced to resign after Johnson ignored key findings of his report and threw his weight behind embattled Patel.

Despite the furore caused by the whole affair, Downing Street refuses to release the full report into Patel’s conduct, ostensibly on the grounds of protecting people who gave evidence to the inquiry.

Labor demands transparency over Priti Patel

The Labor party has chastised the government for its lack of transparency over an inquiry into alleged inappropriate behavior by Home Secretary Priti Patel.

There has been strong reaction to the affair from people across the political establishment and the civil service.

Sir David Normington, a former permanent secretary at the Home Office, told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that there had been “no acknowledgement” by either Patel or Johnson that “she was found to have bullied staff, possibly in three departments – not just in the home office”.

"The prime minister has simply put aside the findings of a report... that she is a bully. You shouldn't have bullies in government", Normington protested.

"The system depends on the prime minister standing up for standards in public life and taking action when a minister breaches those standards", Normington said in conclusion.

Meanwhile, a former diplomat and national security adviser, Lord Peter Ricketts, told Sky News that the whole affair “seems to imply that bullying by a senior minister is acceptable and that sends a very bad signal for relations between ministers and the civil service”.

In the political sphere, the opposition Labor Party has called for an urgent investigation and called for the “initial, unedited report” to be published in full, something Downing Street has ruled out.

Shadow Home Office minister, Holly Lynch, said: "These are serious allegations that suggest Boris Johnson tried to interfere with an investigation into bullying accusations against one of his closest political allies".

While Patel has clearly survived this episode, she is widely regarded to be unpopular at the Home Office and across other government departments.

Patel is even alleged to have locked horns with the bosses of the Security Service (MI5) who have reportedly described her as “bullying” and “over-ambitious”.

MI5 bosses reported to be wary of 'bullying' and over-ambitious Patel

The chiefs of the British Security Service, MI5, are reportedly wary of the hardline Home Secretary, Priti Patel, who has extensive ties to Israeli leaders and politicians.

Johnson reportedly went to the extraordinary length of defending Patel against the MI5 bosses, a measure of the Home Secretary’s elevated status in the hard right Tory government.

Boris Johnson leaps to Priti Patel's defence in her conflict with MI5

Boris Johnson has apparently decided to defend his controversial Home Secretary, Priti Patel, as reports of her tense relationship with MI5 chiefs continue to mount.

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