The home secretary, Priti Patel, is under pressure on multiple fronts following a claim that Boris Johnson’s failure to conclude a seven-month bullying inquiry into her conduct is damaging relations across Whitehall.
The allegation was sent to the prime minister by the FDA union as Patel’s allies said they suspected other ministers may be behind attempts to discredit Home Office plans for asylum seekers by leaking details to the media.
Dave Penman, the union’s general secretary, told Johnson that the delay in publishing the inquiry’s findings was eroding trust between ministers and senior civil servants.
The Cabinet Office inquiry was launched on 2 March by Michael Gove, who told parliament: “It is vital that this investigation is concluded as quickly as possible in the interests of everyone involved.”
7 months??? that's just taking the piss...