'No place for bullying', UK PM Johnson tells ministers, officials
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[November 23, 2020]
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime
Minister Boris Johnson told officials on Monday there was "no place for
bullying" in his government, trying to ease concerns after he stood by
his interior minister against charges of bad behaviour.
However, in a letter written to ministers and permanent secretaries -
the most senior figures in government departments - there was also an
implicit warning that when the government faced "unprecedented
challenges", politicians and officials should keep "internal
conversations private".
Last week, Johnson had hoped to "reset" his government after two of his
most senior advisers said they were leaving, aiming to improve relations
with his own Conservative lawmakers, with government officials and with
the media.
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But he drew criticism when he backed interior minister Priti Patel over
charges of bullying and has also struggled to control his agenda after
leaked reports of meetings have offered glimpses of upcoming strategy
and sometimes colourful language.
"Given the unprecedented challenges we currently face as a nation,
relationships of mutual trust and respect between politicians and their
officials are paramount. This includes keeping internal conversations
private," he wrote in the letter.
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![](../images/112320pics/news_a59.jpg)
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends a virtual news
conference on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the UK
inside 10 Downing Street in central London, Britain November 9,
2020. Tolga Akmen/Pool via REUTERS
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"There is a particular duty on ministers and permanent secretaries
to create jointly across government a culture which is professional,
respectful, focused and ambitious for change in which there is no
place for bullying."
(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; editing by Michael Holden)
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