Boris Johnson rallied to defend Home Secretary Priti Patel after she was accused of bullying staff in a third government department today.
Mr Johnson received huge cheers from the Tory benches as he defended Ms Patel during Prime Minister’s Questions today, telling the Commons: “She is keeping this country safe. The Home Secretary is doing an outstanding job. I have every confidence in her.”
The new claims date back to Ms Patel’s time as International Development Secretary from 2016 to 2017 and come after similar allegations from her stints in two other Whitehall departments.
A senior official at the Department for International Development (DfID) reported a “tsunami of allegations” of abuse from officials in her private office when Ms Patel worked there as secretary of state, according to BBC’s Newsnight.
She resigned from the post in 2017 over unauthorised contacts with the Israeli government. Afterwards, a senior figure in DfID was said to have approached staff in her private office about allegations of bullying. The senior figure was said to have been told of multiple claims of staff being humiliated and coming under heavy pressure in emails.
They reported this to another senior figure in the department and urged them to contact the then cabinet secretary, the late Sir Jeremy Heywood, so that the allegations were “in the system” if Ms Patel ever returned to government.
The person, currently unnamed, is said to be prepared to give evidence to the Cabinet Office inquiry into allegations Ms Patel broke the ministerial code.
A Tory source told Newsnight there was a “concerted effort” by sections of the civil service to undermine the Home Secretary. DfID said: “All ministers are subject to the ministerial code.”
It comes after Sir Philip Rutnam, the Home Office’s most senior official, resigned accusing Ms Patel of leading a “vicious” campaign to oust him.
Separately a Department for Work and Pensions aide is said to have received a £25,000 government payout after claiming she was bullied by Ms Patel when she was employment minister. But sources said the legal case started before Ms Patel came to office. She has denied mistreating staff.
