Boris Johnson has been accused of double standards after writing to ministers and senior civil servants claiming there is “no place for bullying” in the wake of a damning investigation into the home secretary, Priti Patel. On Friday, Johnson broke with precedent and refused to sack Patel after an inquiry concluded she had broken the ministerial code following bullying allegations across three government departments. Sir Alex Allan, the prime minister’s adviser on ministerial standards, quit his post after Johnson contradicted his report by vigorously defending the home secretary and keeping her in her role. Dave Penman, the head of the FDA union that represents senior civil servants, said the prime minister’s latest words would do little to reassure public servants. “In August 2019 he set out, in precise terms in the foreword to the ministerial code, that ‘there must be no bullying and no harassment’,” Penman said.

Source: The Guardian November 23, 2020 13:30 UTC