Civil servant in charge of Priti Patel bullying investigation ‘moved on’ amid claims report will ‘embarrass’ No 10
Colleagues in departments Priti Patel served in have been interviewed as part of an inquiry into bullying allegations against her; Gareth Fuller - Credit: PA
A civil servant in charge of an inquiry into alleged bullying by Priti Patel of her staff has been 'moved on' amid claims that the report will 'embarrass' the government.
Helen MacNamara will leave her post next month to take up a role as permanent secretary in an as 'yet identified' Whitehall department.
A deputy of ousted Cabinet Office secretary Mark Sedwill, MacNamara led a probe into bullying allegations against the home secretary which stem as far back as 2015.
It is understood she is the only person preventing Downing Street from clearing Patel in a report which has been with the prime minister for several weeks.
You may also want to watch:
Leaks from across Whitehall have indicated Patel would be cleared of any charges.
Most Read
- 1 Brexiteer Prue Leith quits Tory Party after government votes down motion to protect UK food standards
- 2 Brexit shambles: A stress of our own making
- 3 Priti Patel set to hand private firms £28 million in government contracts to deport asylum seekers from UK
- 4 Group in protest against Tory MPs who voted down free school meals targets offices with empty plates
- 5 These are the 322 Tory MPs who voted against extending free school meals to children
- 6 Tory minister blames journalists for NHS Test and Trace failure as he defends Dido Harding
- 7 Betty Boothroyd delivers scathing assessment of Boris Johnson's government
- 8 Michel Barnier postpones Brussels return as Brexit trade talks in London continue
- 9 How the Daily Star became Boris Johnson's biggest critic
- 10 Boris Johnson 'plans to resign' in six months because he can't live on £150k salary
MORE: No 10 accused of making Mark Sedwill the 'fall guy' for bungled coronavirus response
Number 10 is understood to be holding off the report's release because of 'robust criticisms' that could 'embarrass' the minister and government, according to the FT.
MacNamara's promotion comes after other civil servants, including Sedwill, former permanent Home Office secretary Philip Rutman and Simon McDonald, ex-permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, were seemingly forced out of their roles.
Sedwill was understood to be one of the last anti-Brexit voices in a top government job.
MacNamara's investigation looked at allegations of bullying stemming from as back as when Patel was Work and Pensions secretary in 2015 and interviewed staff in other departments the secretary led.
MORE: Priti Patel faces legal action over bullying allegations
One Whitehall source told the newspaper MacNamara's departure was a 'signal that No 10 will move on anyone who might challenge them on the legality or ethics of what Boris and Cummings want to do.
'Control that office and you no longer have to stick to the rules when it comes to outside appointments.'
Insiders say Sedwill promoted MacNamara as a way of ensuring that she was protected from being 'thrown under a bus' once he stood aside.
Another senior government source said MacNamara had been promoted to permanent secretary in a major delivery department which had not yet been confirmed.
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.
