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This was supposed to be a reboot week.
But after five days of politics and positive news about COVID vaccines, a familiar cloud of controversy and criticism has descended on Downing Street.
It has resulted in the Prime Minister’s adviser on ministerial rules retiring Boris Johnson publicly disagreed with their findings..
Boris Johnson has stayed with his Home Secretary
Sir Alex Allan, a highly respected civil servant with decades of experience, had discovered that the Home Secretary had broken the rules.
The prime minister thought otherwise and concluded that there were mitigating factors such as Priti Patel’s lack of awareness of the impact her behavior was having.
Weeks after the resignation of a chief legal officer over concerns that ministers planned to violate international law on Brexit, this is yet another dent in the side of wisdom received from Westminster about how governments operate.
Then there is the question of which example this sets.
Public officials working in Whitehall may worry that the decision will cover rogue chiefs to act outside the rules.
But Tory MPs are backing the Home Secretary, a popular figure among MPs with strong Brexit credentials.
Loyalty and “political courage” proved once again to be the main currency in the Johnson administration.
