…By Larry John for TDPel Media.
The UK Prime Minister’s Cabinet has come under scrutiny once again as Health Secretary Steve Barclay faces bullying allegations.
Whitehall sources have stated that Barclay regularly “blasted” his staff and deliberately ignored colleagues, but Barclay’s allies have denied these allegations.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said that it has not received any formal complaints but did not deny being aware of informal concerns.
Downing Street has denied that Chancellor Rishi Sunak had ever been made aware of any concerns about Barclay’s behaviour.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also defended Barclay and said that he had given a clear response denying the allegations.
In response to the allegations, Downing Street has defended the ability of ministers to “robustly” challenge civil servants.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson denied that Boris Johnson had ever been told of any informal concerns about Barclay’s behaviour.
They stated that the Prime Minister expects ministers to drive delivery in their department and to hold departments to account.
DHSC has said that there are established processes through which civil servants can raise concerns, and complaints are dealt with through specific departments.
The department has not received any formal complaints relating to the behaviour of its ministers.
The Barclay allegations come after Dominic Raab’s resignation as deputy prime minister and justice secretary last week when an independent inquiry found that he had bullied civil servants.
The Tolley report, which investigated eight formal complaints about Raab’s conduct, found that he had undermined or humiliated people and criticised the work of civil servant staff as woeful and utterly useless.
While the formal complaints about Barclay’s behaviour have yet to be made, the new allegations highlight once again the issue of bullying in the UK government.
The response from Downing Street emphasising the ability of ministers to challenge civil servants may be seen as a defence of bullying behaviour.
However, it is also important to note that civil servants are able to raise concerns through established processes and that complaints are dealt with through specific departments.
The focus on driving delivery in departments and holding them to account is essential, but it must be done in a way that is not bullying or aggressive towards staff.