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Calls for Priti Patel to quit as she heads to the Home Office – Daily Mail, Dailymail.co.uk

Calls for Priti Patel to quit as she heads to the Home Office – Daily Mail, Dailymail.co.uk

Priti Patel was today under renewed pressure from Labor to quit as Home Secretary over bullying claims, including that she drove a former aide to take an ‘overdose’ ending with her getting a £ , 000 DWP payout.

Diane Abbott insisted Ms Patel should stand down while complaints against her are looked into, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today program: ‘You can’t have a Government that’s at war with its civil servants.

‘We want a genuinely independent inquiry – a lawyer-led inquiry and something that can be seen to be independent. I’m afraid it would be better if she stepped down. We are calling on her to step down whilst the inquiry goes on. ‘

The shadow home secretary was speaking after Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked the Cabinet Office to ‘establish the facts’ following allegations that Ms Patel had breached the ministerial code in relation to her dealings with several officials.

Diane Abbott insisted Ms Patel – seen arriving at the Home Office today – should stand down while complaints against her are looked into

Ms Abbott told Today the Government could not be ‘at war’ with civil servants as she called for a ‘genuinely independent inquiry’ into what happened

The comments come after the BBC reported that a former aide to Ms Patel received a £ 25, payout from the Government after claiming she was bullied when the now Home Secretary was then employment minister.

The BBC claims it has seen legal correspondence which alleges that the woman took an overdose of prescription medicine following the alleged incident in 2015.

The Department for Work and Pensions did not admit liability and the case did not come before a tribunal, the BBC said.

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told the Commons the inquiry into Ms Patel was being launched after Sir Philip Rutnam quit as permanent secretary at the Home Office after rows with Ms Patel, with allegations of bullying levelled against her.

Mr Gove told MPs: ‘Allegations have been made that the Home Secretary has breached the ministerial code. The Home Secretary absolutely rejects these allegations.

‘The Prime Minister has expressed his full confidence in her, and, having worked closely with the Home Secretary over a number of years, I have the highest regard for her. She is a superb minister doing a great job.

‘This Government always takes any complaints relating to the ministerial code seriously, and, in line with the process set out in the ministerial code, the Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Office to establish the facts.

In a dramatic resignation on TV, Sir Philip accused Ms Patel of orchestrating a ‘vicious’ campaign against him, of lying about her involvement in it and of creating a climate of fear in her department.

His bombshell resignation led to calls from opposition MPs and the senior public servants’ trade union for the Prime Minister to put a stop to what they claim is a campaign by his chief adviser Dominic Cummings to undermine the civil service.

It came two weeks after Sajid Javid quit as Boris Johnson’s Chancellor after the PM order him to fire his team of aides.

The shadow home secretary was speaking after Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked the Cabinet Office to ‘establish the facts’ following allegations that Ms Patel had breached the ministerial code

In his statement, Sir Philip said the campaign against him included ‘false’ claims that he had briefed the media against the Home Secretary.

‘The Home Secretary categorically denied any involvement in this campaign to the Cabinet Office,’ he said.

‘I regret I do not believe her. She has not made the effort I would expect to dissociate herself from the comments.

‘Even despite this campaign I was willing to effect a reconciliation with the Home Secretary.

‘But despite my efforts to engage with her, Priti Patel has made no effort to engage with me to discuss this.

‘ I believe these events give me very strong grounds to claim constructive, unfair dismissal and I will be pursuing that claim in the courts. ‘

Sir Philip said his experience’ has been extreme but I consider there is evidence it was part of a wider pattern of behavior.

‘One of my duties as Permanent Secretary was to protect the health, safety and well-being of our 42, 25 people.

‘This created tension with the Home Secretary, and I have encouraged her to change her behavior.

‘ I have received allegations that her conduct has included shouting and swearing, belittling people, making unreaso nable and repeated demands – behavior that created fear and that needed some bravery to call out.

‘I know that resigning in this way will have serious implications for me personally – the Cabinet Office offered me a financial settlement that would have avoided this outcome. ‘

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told the Commons the inquiry into Ms Patel was being launched after Sir Philip Rutnam (pictured) quit as permanent secretary at the Home Office after rows with Ms Patel

The resignation came after simmering tensions between Ms Patel and her Permanent Secretary boiled to the surface last weekend with various reports about a rift between the two.

Those reports prompted the head of the civil service Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill to tell all civil servants yesterday that advice they give ministers and ‘any debates’ around it should remain ‘private’.

But amid growing concern within Whitehall about the treatment of civil servants, that move went down among staff ‘like a cup of cold sick’, according to one source who spoke to the PA news agency about it.

Various reports last weekend suggested Ms Patel had clashed with senior officials, belittled colleagues and was distrusted by intelligence ch iefs.

One report suggested Ms Patel had tried to move Sir Philip from her department after they had a series of rows.

Ms Patel expressed concern at the ‘false ‘claims while allies described her as a’ demanding ‘boss but not a bully.

The Government also denied claims that MI5 chiefs do not trust Ms Patel and were limiting intelligence sharing as a result.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 01575879 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See www.samaritans.org for details

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