Boris Johnson to decide fate of Priti Patel bullying probe

Home secretary Priti Patel arrives at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London, for a Cabinet meeting held at the FCO. - Credit: PA

A report into allegations of bullying by home secretary Priti Patel may never be released to the public, a top official has suggested.

Newly appointed cabinet secretary Simon Case refused to guarantee the findings would be made public, saying that the decision was now in Boris Johnson’s hands.

Patel has been the centre of a probe into whether she bullied Home Office staff after her most senior official, Sir Philip Rutnam, quit in February.

Rutnam said he had been the victim of an orchestrated briefing campaign by her allies.

The probe also looked into allegations made while Patel worked at the Department for International Development and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Patel continues to strenuously deny the claims.

Speaking with MPs, Case said the prime minister would made his conclusion public but fell short of setting a date.

No 10 has repeatedly put off publishing the report.

Asked whether the probe would be published in full, Case said that decision rested with the prime minister.

“As the ultimate arbiter of the ministerial code, this matter absolutely rests with the prime minister,” he said.

“The PM is the arbiter of conduct. He is the one who has to draw conclusions from the process and then it’s up to the prime minister of course to set out what he sees most fits at the end of that process.”