PRITI PASS
Who is Sir Philip Rutnam? Civil servant who quit Home Office over ‘row with Priti Patel’
SIR Philip Rutnam announced his resignation from the Home Office on February 29 after he claims ministers were waging a "vicious and orchestrated campaign" against him.
The former Permanent Secretary at the Home Office made his announcement in a statement to the BBC.
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Who is Sir Philip Rutnam?
Sir Philip Rutnam replaced Mark Sedwill as Permanent Secretary at the Home Office in April 2017.
Before joining the civil service in 1987, Rutnam was educated at both Cambridge and Harvard.
His past civil service stints include the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills, the Department for Transport and the Treasury.
During the 2018 Windrush scandal, Rutnam was the most senior civil servant in the Home Office which saw the resignation of Home Secretary Amber Rudd in April 2018.
Despite his seniority during the scandal, the report's concerns stopped short of criticising Sir Philip himself.
In the 2018 New Year Honours, he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath for his public service.
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Why did he resign from the Home Office?
On February 29, 2020, Rutnam announced his resignation stating that he would sue the government for constructive and unfair dismissal in court.
In a shock TV announcement, Sir Philip accused ministers of waging a "vicious and orchestrated campaign" against him and that he will be "issuing a claim against the Home Office for constructive dismissal".
He alleged that the Home Secretary, Priti Patel's, behaviour included "shouting and swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands" and "behaviour that created fear and that needed some bravery to call out".
The announcement comes after revelations he was on a “s*** list” of permanent secretaries No10 wants replaced.
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LATEST ON PRITI PATEL
It was claimed they are at odds with Tory ministers and advisers who have been buoyed by Mr Johnson’s landslide election win.
Ms Patel’s allies called claims she was cutting Sir Philip out of meetings “total b******s”.
They said he failed to turn up to a security meeting with her in February 2020 adding: “He’s cut himself out.”
His resignation comes just days after Ms Patel and Sir Philip released a joint statement, saying they were “deeply concerned” by “false allegations” that the Home Secretary is distrusted by intelligence chiefs and bullied staff.
Since his resignation, Sir Philip has been replaced by Shona Dunn.
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