Changez after three decades behind the
scenes the Philip Ratnam made an
extraordinary entrance into the
political spotlight this morning at the
same time as announcing his exit from
the civil service I have this morning
resigned as permanent secretary of the
Home Office I take this decision with
great regret after a career of 33 years
I'm making the statement now because I
will be issuing a claim against the Home
Office for constructive dismissal in the
last 10 days I have been the target of a
vicious and orchestrated briefing
campaign that statement comes off the
back of newspaper reports accusing his
boss the Home Secretary Priti Patel of
bullying her staff and that she was not
trusted by the security services Sir
Philip said a campaign had blamed him
for the leaks and that MS Patel whose
department he was now suing had her hand
in doing so the Home Secretary
categorically denied any involvement in
this campaign to the Cabinet Office
I regret I do not believe her she has
not made the efforts I would expect to
dissociate herself from the comments
with allegations against the Home
Secretary emerging the prime minister
said earlier this week that he had full
confidence in MS Patel while other
supporters said that while she was a
demanding boss she was never a bully
yes sir Phillips said he had to publicly
address the Home Secretary's behavior
despite he claims being offered a
financial settlement by the Cabinet
Office I have received allegations that
her conduct has included shouting and
swearing belittling people making
unreasonable and repeated demands
behavior that created fear and needed
some bravery to call out the senior
public servants Union the FDA called on
the Prime Minister to stop the kind of
behavior that forced sir Philips
resignation something echoed today by
the chair of the Home Affairs Select
Committee the work of the Home Office is
far too important to operate with a
dysfunctional and distracted way of
operating
and with a poisoned relationship between
ministers and civil servants because
this is not being sorted out they need
to act so Philip is not without his own
criticisms his tenure at the Home Office
saw the Windrush scandal that led to the
resignation of the then Home Secretary
amber Rudd and in July last year he had
to answer accusations that his
department was more prone to leaks than
others you undertook to launch an
inquiry into leaks from your department
which seemed to be happening quite a lot
how's that gone I don't know
I don't recall exactly which leak that
was that exchange referred to in one of
many there have been a number of leaks
we do regularly undertake leak inquiries
responding to today's news the cabinet
secretary thanked Sir Philip for his
long and dedicated career announced a
temporary replacement and said the Home
Office's vital work to keep our citizens
safe and our country secure continues
uninterrupted yet for a government
seeking to navigate the recent floods
and the corona virus outbreak today's
very public resignation and attack will
cast an unwelcome shadow Paul McNamara
is here in the studio with me now Paul
how big a deal is this well look we got
almost bored of saying this last year
but let's crack out again for 2020 this
is not normal a great big political
resignations from MPs or ministers don't
happen all that often but from this
civil service from the people who are
meant to operate behind the scenes I
don't recall anything like this I mean
it's not uncommon for senior civil
servants and their ministers to fall out
but it's handled quietly behind closed
doors they're shuffled off there you
know find renewed job maybe even early
retirement it's not done with the
threatening of a court case and sort of
here isn't just take aim at pretty Patel
he takes aim at the rest of government
he spoke of a wider pattern in
government and that's a very similar
message to that of Sajid Javid when he
resigned just a little while ago right
so some Tory MPs have said actually this
was pretty bad form from a senior civil
servant to do this but pretty Patel also
has form when it comes to a resignation
she was
to resign in a previous incarnation how
safe is she tonight well at the moment
from people who mean speaking to
it sounds like support for her is
definitely holding up no loyalists the
PM that I'd be speaking to today you
know they've been quick to point out
this philip hasn't exactly had a great
history of the home off especially if
off the last year or so with with wind
rush they've also been briefing Outlook
here's a guy's saying I've never spoken
to the media and yet he's operated in a
pretty media savvy way today a press
conference right at the beginning of the
weekend we're talking about as our top
story tonight it's gonna be on all the
front pages of the Sunday papers
tomorrow it's good dominate what he's
doing he knows what he's doing okay um
on that note perhaps there's been some
other distraction completely ostensibly
unrelated news today tell us about that
yeah there might be one other story
that's sharing the front pages tomorrow
the prime minister Boris Johnson has
announced that he is engaged to his
partner Keri Simmons and also they're
having a baby early summer you can
expect a new baby in number ten it's
gonna be busy summer for all of us we
wish them all the best Paul thank you
very much indeed
well a little early I spoke to the
former head of the Civil Service lord
kars Lake and began by asking him how
well he knew a fella brought them I knew
very well in fact I was part of his
appointment first appointment as a
permanent secretary in transport and I
knew him to be a very serious able
senior civil servant who had been in the
civil service pretty much all his career
and absolutely recognized his role with
ministers and indeed was valued by
ministers who he worked with I mean the
language you used today was was very
stark I have to say and you know it was
complaining about the campaign against
him his smear campaign people briefing
against him having said that you know
when it comes to media it's not exactly
a Wallflower himself is he he managed to
get the BBC's political editor to see
him this morning their cameras are ready
and waiting he clearly wants to make a
statement he knows how to use the media
well he does and indeed you would expect
him to know how the me
works in his role but I think this is
the last thing on earth he would have
expected to do or wanted to do he must
have been pushed to the limit the very
limit and beyond to have chosen not just
to resign I mean that was a big thing
but to resign in this way to make these
accusations and to in effect say I'll
take the government to court but taking
the government to court does this not
set a dangerous precedent for what is
already a bit of a proxy war between the
civil service and elected officials well
I think it does set a dangerous
precedent but he clearly feels very
strongly not just about his own
treatment which I think has been frankly
disgraceful but also about the treatment
of other civil servants and I think it's
one thing to have a difficult
relationship between a permanent
secretary and a minister it's another to
have a minister effectively bullying
their private office which is what this
adds up to and that's unacceptable in
fact it's very clearly contrary to
listen to the ministerial code which the
Prime Minister put his name to but if a
minister feels that he or she doesn't
have the full backing of her or his top
civil servant are they not right to
force them to resign no I don't think it
works that way I mean there has to be a
relationship of trust between the
minister and the permanent secretary
it's clear from Sir Philips statement
this morning then he tried to repair the
damage but was rebuffed by the Home
Secretary we know the Dominic Cummings
the Prime Minister senior advisor has
his problems with the civil service are
we now looking at a permanent simmering
kind of civil war between the civil
service and this government well I
really hope that we aren't now looking
at a period of really bad relationships
of that sort because it will be bad for
the civil service they pride themselves
in serving the government of the day but
it will also be bad for the government
they've got big challenges in front of
them and they need
the civil service working with them on
those issues if the accusations against
Priti Patel leveled against her by her
former top civil servant are proved to
be correct
should she resign well I think if we go
into this industrial tribunal and they
come out in a way where it's pretty hard
to refute them then it does raise
questions obviously it's for the prime
minister to make that decision we need
to see more of the facts but as I said
earlier look at the ministerial code the
forward written by Boris Johnson says no
bullying no harassment it couldn't be
clearer and if there is evidence of that
happening in the face of his clear
direction then that raises big questions
for that particular minister so let's be
clear here if she is seem to have broken
the prime minister's own code of
behavior towards civil servants should
she resign yes on that I think it's a
position where she must seriously
consider her position yes well Karthik
thank you very much indeed