>It is easy to say that the civil service had no option but to support the Prime Minister as he refused to come clean to Parliament about what was going on. They do after all have a duty to serve the government of the day.
>
>But all civil servants are also supposed to uphold the civil service code with its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality. That code is looking pretty battered by the people who should be leading by example.
>
>And government press officers, who knew full well that there were parties in Downing Street (many of them happening in their own office) but repeatedly told journalists there were not, contravened the guidance on propriety in government communications by failing to be ‘open and truthful’.
>
>In the run-up to the Prime Minister’s statement there were rumours that the Cabinet Secretary might be forced out as a convenient scapegoat. That has not happened.
>
>But nor does Simon Case seem to feel the need to reconsider his position. Instead, he and Cabinet Office permanent secretary Alex Chisholm issued a bland email to staff which, just like the Prime Minister’s own response, took refuge in structural changes at Number 10 rather than suggest any taking of personal responsibility. …
2 comments
From Jill Rutter…
>It is easy to say that the civil service had no option but to support the Prime Minister as he refused to come clean to Parliament about what was going on. They do after all have a duty to serve the government of the day.
>
>But all civil servants are also supposed to uphold the civil service code with its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality. That code is looking pretty battered by the people who should be leading by example.
>
>And government press officers, who knew full well that there were parties in Downing Street (many of them happening in their own office) but repeatedly told journalists there were not, contravened the guidance on propriety in government communications by failing to be ‘open and truthful’.
>
>In the run-up to the Prime Minister’s statement there were rumours that the Cabinet Secretary might be forced out as a convenient scapegoat. That has not happened.
>
>But nor does Simon Case seem to feel the need to reconsider his position. Instead, he and Cabinet Office permanent secretary Alex Chisholm issued a bland email to staff which, just like the Prime Minister’s own response, took refuge in structural changes at Number 10 rather than suggest any taking of personal responsibility. …
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Add this here too
>David Gauke: [No 10 officials need to stand up to Boris Johnson, not appease him](https://www.newstatesman.com/comment/2022/05/officials-boris-johnson-partygate-not-appease-him)
>
>If unchallenged, the Prime Minister will further contaminate the culture of the civil service with partygate, just as he has contaminated the Conservative Party.
Late stage cancer doing to UK what a late stage cancer always does … claims the victim to death.