Appointing civil servants to investigate the prime minister’s conduct puts them “in a genuinely difficult position”, says the Cabinet Secretary.
Speaking to a Commons select committee, Simon Case – who leads the civil service – said such inquiries were “very difficult” for staff and should “be avoided wherever possible”.
His comments follow senior civil servant Sue Gray’s report into allegations of lockdown parties in Downing Street during the pandemic.
A police investigation into 12 of the so-called “partygate” events led to 126 fixed penalty notices being issued, including individual fines to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie and Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
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Asked by the chair of Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, William Wragg, whether asking civil servants to carry out such probes was appropriate, Mr Case said it should be avoided.
“The role of the civil service…
