Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Paranoid Labour look for scapegoats
The reaction of several senior cabinet members has been to single out the top civil servant in Whitehall as a potential source of the briefings and call for his sacking.
The Independent reports that Keir Starmer is being urged by several cabinet ministers to sack the top civil servant in Whitehall immediately and stamp his authority on the new Labour government:
Knives are out for cabinet secretary Simon Case, who has been accused of undermining the prime minister and being responsible for briefings against his chief of staff Sue Gray.
One exasperated cabinet minister said: “He [Case] has got to go now.”
Mr Case has denied any inappropriate behaviour and has been put in charge of investigating how damaging leaks at No 10 occurred, including the news that Ms Gray’s salary eclipses the PM’s. Earlier this week the prime minister’s spokesman also said he was satisfied Mr Case was not behind the leaks.
Senior ministers have spoken of their frustration at the seemingly non-stop briefings against the fledgling Labour government which are threatening to destabilise it.
One minister accused Mr Case of “poisoning the well of government” and said his planned departure from government must “be done now with immediate effect to show Keir’s authority and to stop the damage and distraction”.
Another minister told The Independent they have personally raised their concerns with the prime minister and said Mr Case “really should go now”.
Others consider Mr Case’s relationship with Ms Gray to be too corrosive and have accused him of briefing against Ms Gray.
“Case is scheduled to leave at the end of the year having been forced earlier to take six weeks leave, but another 12 weeks of infighting is not viable,” said one insider.
It seems that gaining power is synonymous with paranoia. It's just that nobody expected it to set in so early.
