The system pushes back

Whitehall has been bruised by the Labour cronyism scandals. Slowly, some Senior Officials are starting to say 'no' to Ministers. In doing so they are acknowledging that mistakes have been made.

Slowly…belatedly…Whitehall’s senior officials are starting to push back against the new Labour Government.

In HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office there seems to be a growing belief that a line needs to be drawn, following mistakes such as the approval of Labour staffer Jess Sergeant’s appointment to the Propriety & Constitution Group or the appointment by Rachel Reeves of her donor Ian Corfield as a senior civil servant.