22 May Home Secretary speeding row is ‘shocking’, says former standards committee chairman
IT is “fairly shocking” that the Home Secretary is again facing accusations that she has broken the ministerial code, according to a former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
Sir Alistair Graham also told GB News it appears that Suella Braverman has breached the code by asking civil servants to assist her to with a speeding conviction.
Asked about civil servants being blocked from advising her, Sir Alistair said: “It’s good to see civil servants acting in an appropriate way and rules are there to be complied with.
“And it’s really fairly shocking that we’ve got a Home Secretary that seems to keep getting herself into this mess, particularly when she’s had to resign once already because of a breach of the ministerial code.”
In a discussion with Mark Longhurst during GB News Live, he said: “It’s not for people like me to make a judgement about whether she’s breached the code.
“But it would be very disappointing if there’s not a full investigation by Sir Laurie Magnus, the adviser to the Prime Minister on the ethics and standards issue, given that the Prime Minister himself stood outside 10 Downing Street when he took office to stress that this was going to be a government of integrity.
“One of the weaknesses of his position is that he cannot initiate an investigation without the permission of the Prime Minister.
“The rules do say that it should not normally be refused if he himself considers that an investigation is appropriate, given the publicity and the fact that it seems clear that civil servants were asked to give special to try and organise special arrangements for a speed awareness course.”
He added: “A speeding fine is a domestic personal matter. It’s not a public policy matter. It’s not a departmental matter for the Home Office.
“So, if she has had civil servants to get involved in resolving such a personal matter, then I would consider that was a breach of the ministerial code.”
