Sir Philip Rutnam claimed there had been a ‘vicious and orchestrated’ campaign against him and added that he intended to sue the Government for constructive dismissal when he resigned in February.
After persistent reports of a major rift between Sir Philip and Priti Patel, the 33-year civil service veteran walked out with all guns blazing, launching a withering attack on Ms Patel in a statement on live TV.
He accused her of lying and said he had received allegations that she had shouted and sworn at staff.
The former official said he was the victim of a ‘briefing campaign’ and that in choosing to publicly resign he had turned down a ‘financial settlement’ from the Cabinet Office.
Sir Philip Rutnam, who quit as the Home Office’s permanent secretary after accusing the Home Secretary of a ‘vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign’ against him, said he was pleased his claim had been settled
The official had himself been accused of briefing against the Home Secretary in the media but said this claim was ‘completely false’.
It was claimed Ms Patel told Sir Philip to get rid of a senior official on Christmas Eve but the top mandarin refused.
Sir Philip said in his statement that his experience was ‘extreme’ and part of a ‘wider pattern’ in Government.
He told reporters: ‘In the last ten days I have been the target of a vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign. It has been alleged that I have briefed the media against the Home Secretary.
The 33-year civil service veteran launched a withering attack on Ms Patel in his resignation statement which he made on live TV. Pictured: Ms Patel arriving at the National Police Chief’s Council in London
‘This along with many other claims is completely false. The Home Secretary categorically denied any involvement in this campaign to the Cabinet Office.
‘I regret, I do not believe her. She has not made the effort I would expect to dissociate herself from the comments,’ he added.
He went on to say that Ms Patel had made ‘no effort’ to engage with him about the alleged briefing campaign against him.
He said this gave him ‘strong grounds’ to claim ‘constructive unfair dismissal’ and that he would be pursuing the claim through the courts.
The Government paid out ‘substantial’ damages thought to be in the region of £370,000 to Sir Philip in March.
In a statement the Government said it ‘regretted’ the circumstances surrounding Sir Philip’s resignation – although it did not accept liability and defended its decision to defend the case.
Sir Philip resigned with an extraordinary blast at his former boss over a ‘vicious and orchestrated’ campaign against him
The taxpayer-funded payout is believed to be well into six-figures, but the decision to settle means that Ms Patel will avoid being cross-examined during any employment tribunal hearing.
In a statement Sir Philip said: ‘I am pleased to say that the Government has today settled the claims that I brought against them and which were due to be heard in an employment tribunal in September.
‘I have received excellent support during this process and I would like to express warm thanks to the FDA and to my legal team, Slater and Gordon and Gavin Mansfield QC.
‘I also want to record my appreciation and thanks to the many individuals, known and unknown to me, who have expressed their support throughout.
‘This settlement resolves my own case. The FDA is continuing to pursue in separate proceedings the wider issues that have been raised.
‘I now look forward to the next stages of my career.’
