as a reason to call for Patel to step down – with Abbott adding that the latest allegation should also be taken
into account. This was a reference to the report by the BBC that an aide to Patel when she was an
employment minister received a £25,000 payout in 2015 after allegedly being bullied.
But the real danger to Patel’s hold on office is Sir Philip’s determination to sue the government for wrongful
constructive dismissal. If he won’t settle out of court – or, rather, out of employment tribunal – the danger
is that new information will come to light.
Although Sir Philip’s criticism of Patel was stinging, the occasional shouting, swearing and unreasonable
request may not be enough to force Boris Johnson to sack her. But the power of a tribunal to call witnesses
and to order the disclosure of documents is dangerous to her.
As a senior civil servant recently explained to me, court cases often induce “absolute panic” in Whitehall,
because it can be hard to control what becomes public, and it is often a clumsy attempt to cover up, or
something unrelated to, the original transgression that eventually forces the minister out of office.
Patel has the luxury of time, because an employment tribunal is not quick, but she is not safe yet.