UNITED KINGDOM
The UK Government has handed exclusive powers to Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s top aide, Dominic Cummings to sack Cabinet Ministers’ advisers.
New contracts of employment rushed through by 10 Downing Street make it clear that Mr Cummings now has ultimate “responsibility for disciplinary matters”, rather than individual Ministers, as was the case previously.
The move follows the furore over the dismissal of Sonia Khan, an aide to Chancellor, Sajid Javid, who was sacked and then frogmarched out of Mr Cummings’ Downing Street office by an armed police officer last month.
Mr Cummings claimed Ms Khan had misled him over her contact with Philip Hammond, her former boss, but Ms Khan has denied any wrongdoing.
Mr Javid was not consulted.
General Secretary of the FDA union for senior PS staff, Dave Penman (pictured) said Ministers were allowing their authority to be publicly undermined.
“Disciplinary matters lying with the Prime Minister and his Chief of Staff is a significant change,” Mr Penman said.
“It cuts across the Ministerial Code, which says that responsibility for special advisers lies with Ministers and Ministers are accountable to the Government, Parliament and the public for their advisers’ behaviour.”
The Government is arguing that the changes to the contract simply formalise the longstanding arrangement for special advisers under successive Prime Ministers.
A spokeswoman said it had been the case under successive administrations that all special advisers’ appointments were approved by the Prime Minister and could be dismissed without notice if the Prime Minister withdrew his or her consent.
The row also comes amid anger that Mr Cummings has been granted a security pass for the Palace of Westminster despite having been found in contempt of Parliament.
London, 21 September 2019
