The Home Secretary is amidst another controversy with a recent report claiming that she tried to have her director of communications removed from the job before Christmas.
According to The HuffPost, Priti Patel had asked for Andy Tighe, the head of news at the Home Office, to be moved out of the department last year, and he decided to take retirement.
Patel also wanted Philip Rutnam, the department’s permanent secretary, to sack Tighe on Christmas Eve and he refused, which led to some of the tensions between the duo. However, the Home Office did not deny the claim that Patel asked for Tighe to be sacked on Christmas Eve, nor that she had wanted him to leave.
The row originally blew up when it was claimed that Patel had tried to get rid of Rutnam after he raised complaints about her alleged bullying and belittling of staff. It then further escalated with claims that MI5 had restricted Patel’s access to security information because it did not trust her. Both the intelligence agency and home secretary had strongly denied these rumours. The department has said there have been no formal complaints about Patel’s behaviour.
A Home Office spokesperson said, “The home secretary and permanent secretary are deeply concerned about the number of false allegations appearing in the media. They are focused on delivering on the Home Office’s hugely important agenda, which includes creating an immigration system that works for the UK, putting more police on the streets and keeping the public safe from terrorism.”
