Ministers should have the ability to “robustly” problem civil servants, Downing Street has insisted, because it denied Rishi Sunak had been made conscious of casual issues about Steve Barclay’s conduct.
The well being secretary has turn into the most recent member of the prime minister’s cupboard to face bullying allegations, with officers from his division reportedly having spoken privately of “bad behaviour”.
Mr Barclay has not commented publicly however allies “totally deny” the claims.
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And on Thursday, the prime minister’s official spokesman stated Mr Sunak had not been made conscious of any complaints in regards to the well being secretary’s behaviour.
He stated there are “established processes” for civil servants in the event that they want to carry to gentle any situation, and casual complaints “go to the department and are dealt with there”.
“The health secretary is delivering for the public and working hard to cut the waiting lists so people can get the care they need more quickly,” he added.
“The prime minister expects ministers to drive delivery in their department.
“Ministers ought to have the ability to check and problem civil servants and their political advisers robustly, and maintain departments to account to ship for the general public”.
It comes after Foreign Secretary James Cleverly defended his cupboard colleague as “absolutely not” a bully.
“I’ve worked with him on a number of occasions,” he instructed Sky News.
“He has made a statement making it absolutely clear that there have been no reports.
“His assertion is evident and utterly unambiguous, and I’m utterly satisfied that that’s correct.”
On Wednesday, The Guardian quoted Whitehall sources as saying Mr Barclay regularly “blasted” staff and on occasions “intentionally ignored” colleagues who tried to speak to him.
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The newspaper claimed complaints had been made to the division’s prime mandarin in regards to the cupboard minister’s “challenging” behaviour.
The Department of Health and Social Care stated it had not acquired any formal complaints over the behaviour of its ministers, however didn’t deny being conscious of casual ones.
A supply near the well being secretary stated: “No complaint has been made.”
Asked whether or not they denied bullying, they stated: “Totally deny.”
It comes after the resignation of Dominic Raab as deputy prime minister and justice secretary final week, following an unbiased inquiry which discovered he had bullied civil servants.
Adam Tolley KC’s five-month investigation into eight formal complaints about Mr Raab’s conduct discovered he had behaved in a means that “undermines or humiliates” whereas international secretary and criticised the work of civil servant employees as “woeful” and “utterly useless” whereas justice secretary.
The issues over Mr Barclay pre-date the discharge of the Tolley report, in accordance with The Guardian.
Content Source: information.sky.com