UK’s top civil servant attacks ‘cowardice’ of Whitehall ‘blob’ claim

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Simon Case, head of the UK civil service, on Wednesday denounced as “self-defeating cowardice” claims that Whitehall is part of a “blob” intent on frustrating the will of the Conservative government.

The cabinet secretary also told MPs he had reported Nadine Dorries, the former minister who failed to gain a peerage in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list, for her “forceful” complaints over the perceived snub.

Case was widely criticised by fellow mandarins for allegedly failing to stand up for the civil service during Johnson’s time as prime minister, which saw regular attacks on a perceived left-leaning establishment.

But appearing before the House of Commons public administration and constitutional affairs committee, Case said civil servants had been “dehumanised” by being portrayed as part of “the blob”.

The idea was “self-defeating cowardice”, he said, arguing that it was doubly wrong to criticise officials who were trying to help the government to deliver its agenda, and who could also not answer back because of rules around neutrality.

Michael Gove is widely credited with introducing “the blob” into Westminster discourse during his time as education secretary between 2010 and 2014. He used it to describe his critics in the teaching establishment as he pushed through contentious school reforms.

Earlier this year, in an email sent to Tory supporters, home secretary Suella Braverman blamed “an activist blob of leftwing lawyers, civil servants and the Labour party” for the government’s failure to curb small boat crossings in the Channel.

Braverman later apologised and Downing Street said she “did not see, sign off or sanction” the email. But the term “the blob” is widely used by Tory MPs and ministers in private to describe a supposedly hostile establishment.

Sir Jake Berry, former Tory party chair, last month said that a “blob” had frustrated the delivery of Brexit and forced Johnson out of office.

Case also revealed that he had reported “communications” sent by Dorries to civil servants regarding her thwarted peerage to Simon Hart, the government’s chief whip, and Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

Dorries has threatened to quit as an MP, in a move that would trigger a fourth by-election challenge for prime minister Rishi Sunak, but says she is still trying to find out why Johnson’s promise of a peerage failed to materialise. Dorries was contacted for comment.

Meanwhile HarperCollins on Wednesday announced that it would release a book by Dorries on the “political assassination” of Johnson, in which she will reveal the “darkest political arts” that brought down the ex-premier.

The publisher said it would go on sale days before the Tory conference in October, adding to Sunak’s problems as he tries to unite his party ahead of the general election expected next year.