As the Prime Minister continues to experience criticism from Whitehall, it is reported that Liz Truss personally advocated for the firing of senior Treasury official Sir Tom Scholar.
One of the first actions of Ms. Truss’ new government was the removal of Sir Tom from his position as permanent secretary of the Treasury last week.
It followed the incoming PM’s repeated attacks on “Treasury orthodoxy” and promises to cut taxes in order to spur economic development during the Tory leadership race this past summer.
As Ms. Truss entered Downing Street, the firing of Sir Tom was seen as an indication of her resolve to alter economic policy.
However, it has sparked outrage in Whitehall, as former senior officials have openly criticised Sir Tom’s dismissal.
Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary and head of the civil service, has also drawn their ire.
He’s been charged with “accepting the firing and failing to stand up for the ideals” of his employees.
As part of the next PM’s Whitehall shake-up, Ms. Truss was anticipated to also replace Mr. Case, who was involved in the Partygate controversy under Boris Johnson.
But it has subsequently come to light that she intends to retain him on board since he impressed throughout the creation of the new energy bill freeze and the preparations for the Queen’s funeral.
During the financial crisis, Sir Tom, a 30-year civil servant, collaborated with former prime minister Gordon Brown.
He assumed control of the Treasury soon after the Brexit vote and oversaw the implementation of the furlough programme as well as other government assistance during the Covid epidemic.
Sir Tom said that Kwasi Kwarteng, the incoming Chancellor, had “determined it was time for fresh leadership” at the Treasury when he made the announcement of his dismissal last week.
Although Mr. Kwarteng reportedly oversaw Sir Tom’s resignation, The Times claims that Ms. Truss was personally motivated to get rid of him.
Under Theresa May, the PM served two years as chief secretary to the Treasury, where she collaborated with Sir Tom.
Sources at Number 10 did not dispute Ms. Truss’s role in pushing for his dismissal.
Along with the outrage among current civil workers over Sir Tom’s dismissal, past senior Whitehall officials have persisted in criticising Ms. Truss and Mr. Kwarteng’s conduct.
As the Home Office’s permanent secretary from 2006 to 2010, Sir David Normington referred to Sir Tom as “one of the most capable civil officials of his age.”
He said in a letter to The Times that Ms. Truss and Mr. Kwarteng “are not interested in unbiased counsel and plan to surround themselves with “yes” men and women” and that Sir Tom’s dismissal had sent a “clear message” to Whitehall.
This is a certain way to make poor decisions and have weak governance, he said.
Additionally, it is a further modest step toward the politicisation of the civil service.
Sir David also attacked Mr. Case, calling it “disappointing” that he “has consented in the dismissal and once again failed to stand up for the ideals of the civil service.”
Kwasi Kwarteng said last week that the incoming Chancellor had “determined it was time for fresh leadership” when he announced Sir Tom’s dismissal.
Mr. Case first assumed responsibility for looking into allegations of lockdown-busting parties within Downing Street during the Partygate incident.
But once it was discovered that the event was conducted in his private office in December 2020, he was subsequently compelled to withdraw from the process.
Sir Tom was allegedly at the top of a “kill list” of senior government workers whom Mr. Johnson’s administration wanted gone because they were allegedly against Brexit.
Sir Tom, former Home Office director Sir Philip Rutnam, and former Foreign Office director Sir Simon McDonald have all since resigned from their positions.
Following Sir Tom’s dismissal, Lord Wilson of Dinton, a Cabinet Secretary under Tony Blair, blasted the most recent assault on Whitehall’s top brass.
He said: “As ministers strive to swiftly settle into new posts and deal with challenging issues, the consistency and expertise of the civil service will provide important assistance for them in the coming weeks.”
“It is unstable at this time too hastily fire a key senior official who is widely regarded as exceptional.” It is against accepted procedure and will undoubtedly have repercussions when further actions are taken.
It may lower morale; during the previous ten years, there has already been a worrisome loss of skill. Similar to this, political criticism of the Treasury is damaging.
“It seems to be an effort to transfer the responsibility for the failure of ministers’ own prior initiatives onto institutions.”