Philip Rutnam is right to defend the principles of good government

Senior civil servants do not go public about their disagreements with ministers lightly. No permanent secretary has ever resigned and announced their intention to sue the government for constructive dismissal before. Sir Philip Rutnam’s departure from his post at the head of the Home Office is, therefore, a constitutional innovation. 

Sir Philip’s allegations about the conduct of Priti Patel, the home secretary, are serious. He says she was responsible for a “vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign” against him; that she refused to engage with him in an attempt at reconciliation; and that he “received allegations that her conduct has included shouting and swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands”.  

Plainly, there are two sides to this argument. “Allies” of Ms Patel say that Sir Philip is too cautious, having warned her that the department would struggle to deliver its huge Brexit workload. They admit that leaving the EU requires an ambitious programme – a new immigration system, a new border inspection regime, and a new settlement scheme for the 3.2 million EU citizens in the UK, all by the end of the year – but they feel he was obstructing it rather than making it happen.