During the 2012 West Coast rail fiasco, he was forced to admit 'deeply regrettable and completely unacceptable mistakes', adding that 'more important than the role of Ministers is the role of senior officials, starting with me'.However, in true Whitehall fashion, such remarkable disasters did not stop him climbing the greasy pole.Brexit: Criticised for being a Project Fear scaremonger, claiming the Army could have to be deployed to protect Britain’s borders if we left the EU without a deal.Illegal immigration: Admitted that 739 migrants had crossed the Channel between January 2018 and February 2019, including 135 who escaped being intercepted by Border Force or the French authorities.Windrush scandal: Accused of costing Home Secretary Amber Rudd her job after blunders over the deportation of Jamaicans. Indications at this early stage are that Priti Patel's position is secure. But governments who want to get things done need an effective civil service to make things happen. Sir Philip Rutnam’s extraordinary resignation speech, singling out Priti Patel comes after weeks of acrimony between the Home Office’s most senior civil servant and the Home Secretary. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. These are external links and will open in a new window More to the point, he took aim not just at Ms Patel, but alluded to what he said was a "wider pattern" in government. Prior to that Sir Philip was the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport for 5 years. Sir Philip McDougall Rutnam, KCB (born 19 June 1965) is a British former civil servant who was Permanent Secretary at the Home Office from 2017 until his resignation on 29 February 2020. Sir Philip was allegedly so obstructive that he was nicknamed Dr No, "because he just said: 'No,'" the source claimed. Philip Rutnam joined the Home Office as Permanent Secretary in April 2017. The government faced criticism after education officials downgraded more than a third of pupils' final grades in a system devised after the coronavirus pandemic led to cancelled exams yesBenita Stipp (centre) and Mimi Ferguson (left) react as students at Norwich School receive their A-Level resultsA train derailment near Stonehaven has left three people dead.
The Home Office is often seen as a poisoned chalice given the nature of its job. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. Most people would have never heard of Sir Philip Rutnam, 54, before his highly unusual resignation yesterday morning.For those who have kept a keen eye on Whitehall over the past decade, the name Rutnam is a byword for bungled advice and toxic clashes with Ministers.Dubbed 'Sir Calamity' by exasperated Downing Street officials, Rutnam – who was paid £175,000 with a gold-plated pension as Home Office Permanent Secretary – always seemed to be 'missing' when his neck was on the line. I only arrived in the Home Office this spring so I can take no credit for its achievements, but I was hugely impressed by its superbly professional response to the terrorist attacks earlier this year.
There is nothing remotely normal however about a top government official quitting their job, suing the government in the belief they were forced out, deciding to go public with the reasons, and accusing one of the most senior politicians in the country of not being straight with the truth.But that is exactly what's happened. Philip Rutnam joined the Home Office as Permanent Secretary in April 2017. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. of A look back at International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2019of Workplace Adjustment Stories: 2 – Suzanne's storyof Personal disability stories: 13 – Michael's storyof Developing talented people with a disability to create more diverse leadershipof Civil Service Disability Champion’s summer round-upof Personal disability stories: 11 - Julia's and Andy's stories We are no longer accepting comments on this article.Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media GroupNancy Pelosi is branded a hypocrite for breaking COVID rules to get a blowout at a closed San Francisco salon - and is filmed walking around without a mask after pushing for a nationwide face-covering mandate The end of a dynasty: RFK's grandson Joe Kennedy III becomes the first member of his family to lose a Massachusetts election as he is defeated in Senate primary in JFK's old seatPIERS MORGAN: Tone-deaf Democrats are heading for another election disaster if they don't stand up to violence on the streets and continue to let Trump scare middle Americans with the anarchists coming to get themTrump administration blocks ALL evictions nationwide until the end of the year: Government's sweeping order to stop the spread of COVID will protect 43 million renters 'I Like To Move It' DJ Erick Morillo is found dead at 49 - three weeks after he was arrested following claims from a fellow DJ that he raped her last year 'He's the biggest craps player ever!' Sir Philip Rutnam has been one of the most senior civil servants for years, in charge at the Home Office for the last few. Ilhan Omar accuses MSNBC host Joy Reid of Islamophobia after she claimed Donald Trump is 'radicalizing' his supporters 'like in the Muslim world' REVEALED: Joe Biden raised at least $350 million in August - smashing previous records set by Obama - and is outspending Donald Trump tenfold on TV adsDonald Trump's mega-fundraiser Elliot Broidy is on verge of being charged with plot to persuade U.S. government to handover billionaire Chinese dissident to Beijing - with 'help from Fugees rapper' 'The media is not your friend': CNN host Chris Cuomo is caught in secret recording with Michael Cohen denying rampant sexual harassment rumors and asking 'do I look like the kinda f***ing guy who has to do that? Picture: PA Responding to Sir Philip's resignation, Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA, the senior public servants' union, said it "demonstrates once again the destructive consequences of anonymous briefings against public servants who are unable to publicly defend themselves."