Downing Street has confirmed the Cabinet Office is investigating the source of a leak speculating about Jeremy Corbyn’s health, and that it will take disciplinary action against any individuals found responsible.
The Labour leader had written to the cabinet secretary, Mark Sedwill, to demand an investigation, after a story appeared in the Times on Saturday. It cited anonymous civil servants saying that Corbyn seemed to lack a firm grasp of issues and was being “propped up” by his advisers.
Theresa May’s official spokesman said: “It would clearly be inappropriate and unacceptable for comments of this sort to have been made or briefed to the press.
“The Cabinet Office is investigating this potential breach of the civil service code fully, just as it would any other. If we are able to identify any individual responsible, we will take disciplinary action.”
Asked whether the civil service would carry out the investigation, he said: “We are taking the matter extremely seriously. The civil service is responsible for looking into any potential breaches of the civil service code, and this is no different.”
Labour strongly suspects Sedwill is responsible for the leak, or at least had knowledge of it, and is concerned that he would have a key role in preparing Whitehall for a potential change of government at the next general election.
One senior party figure said there was a lack of trust in the cabinet secretary, who was hand-picked by May.
For that reason, the government’s announcement of an internal inquiry is unlikely to satisfy Corbyn.
He wrote to Sedwill on Tuesday, demanding reassurances about the “scope and independence” of the inquiry, and calling for a “speedy and thorough independent investigation, rather than one carried out by the Cabinet Office”.
The shadow Cabinet Office minister, Jon Trickett, raised the leak in parliament on Monday, saying: “I’m standing next to the leader of the opposition, whose fitness I must say is legendary.”
Labour has seized on the leak, claiming it is evidence that a powerful political establishment would try to resist the radical reforms a Corbyn-led government might carry out.
Corbyn tweeted on Monday:
The rich and powerful are so worried about a Labour government redistributing wealth and power that they're stepping up their attacks on me, those close to me, my staff and our movement.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) July 1, 2019
The answer is to come together to deliver real change and hope to all our communities. pic.twitter.com/HQz3t97Iw1
