The prime minister chose not to sack Ms Patel after a 2020 report on her behaviour towards Home Office workers. But the FDA senior civil servants’ is set to argue in court that there was “clear evidence” of bullying by Ms Patel.
The High Court will hold a judicial review of the prime minister’s decision on Wednesday and Thursday next week.
In November last year, an inquiry carried out by Mr Johnson’s then head of standards, Sir Alex Allan, found that Ms Patel had “unintentionally” broken the ministerial code, governing standards in office. Her approach to staff had “on occasions… amounted to behaviour that can be described as bullying in terms of the impact felt” by individuals, it added.
But the prime minister, who oversees the ministerial code, kept Ms Patel in post, saying she was not a “bully” and there had been “mitigating” circumstances behind her behaviour.
Sir Alex resigned following the decision.
The FDA’s case is seen to have wider constitutional implications, with the government arguing that the ministerial code - overseen by an elected politician - is and should remain separate from the courts.
The union’s general secretary, Dave Penman, said: “Civil servants should expect to work with ministers without fear of being bullied or harassed. The prime minister… has a duty to ensure that civil servants can work with ministers without fear of being bullied or harassed.”
Mr Penman added that, in agreeing with Ms Patel’s “assertion that her actions were unintentional”, could allow other ministers “to avoid the consequences of their behaviour in future by pleading that it should be the intent of their actions which is important, not the consequences”.
"It ain’t over till (oruntil ) the fat lady sings " is a colloquialism which is often used as a proverb. It means that one should not presume to know the outcome of an event which is still in progress. More specifically, the phrase is used when a situation is (or appears to be) nearing its conclusion. It cautions against assuming that the current state of an event is irreversible and clearly determines how or when the event will end.
Perhaps in the interests of fairness or even handed comment, which is glaringly obviously missing in this section these days, I might be allowed to point out that at least Ms Patel doesnt threaten to throw acid over people or say Labour are scum. Nor does she get blind drunk on flights to Gibraltar.
It seems to me that this section by definition, has become an extension of the left wing attack journal The Guardian and the BBC. These pull-outs and quotes of journalistic opinion do nothing to enhance the enjoyment of political discussion or indeed the site an are reminiscent of a certain members posts on the old site. In my humble opinion of course.
I will, when you start to form your opinions from a broader spectrum than the left wing media. The current atmosphere of, Labour good, Conservative bad portrayed in these selective quotes is destructive and make little contribution to intelligent, interesting debate. If i wanted to read the Guardian’s opinion I’d buy the paper.
I rather doubt that would change any left winger’s opinion. I really don’t have the the time or the energy to spare trawling the internet for arguments to refute the fake news put out by the Guardian. People will believe what they want to believe. I would much rather debate with someone who presents his own opinion rather than regurgitating the opinion of some Newspaper hack.
Ms Patel has been a nightmare, and critically, incompetent.
Huge queues at airports, computer systems falling further behind delivery dates and record numbers of illegals arriving here in the UK and a reduction in the numbers of criminals being deported.
This not taking back control, it is sheer incompetence.
Exactly what would you do then. You know the French can’t be compelled to patrol the channel and take them back. Add to the mix that they are using it in the fisheries dispute which explains the current increase in numbers. When we try to get rid of them their lawyers use the human rights act to launch numerous appeals and if the current Government tried to change it wouldn’t make it through the Commons. Why? Because Labour and the soft centred Liberals plus every human rights activist would appose it. What’s your answer to the problem?
In the interests of fairness, I feel I should point out that the article in the OP is not a “left wing opinion” nor is it “fake news” - it is merely a factual news report about something that is going to happen soon - whether people like it or not, it is current news of what’s happening, whichever news outlet reports it, so why should it not be posted and discussed?
The FDA civil service union has confirmed its High Court challenge to Boris Johnson’s rejection of top-level findings that home secretary Priti Patel breached the ministerial code by bullying Home Office officials will be heard next week.
The judicial review hearings, set to take place on Wednesday and Thursday, will examine whether the PM was wrong in law to decide Patel’s harassment of staff did not break the code – despite standards adviser Sir Alex Allan’s conclusion that it did.
She is woman shaped 
