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Simon Case’s view that breaking international law doesn’t breach the ministerial code leads Robert Green to question the praise lavished on the new cabinet secretary, while Nicholas Vosper looks back at Suella Braverman’s statement that the UK does not break its promises. Plus letters from Prof Rob Merkin, Alec Reid, Chris Arrowsmith and Mark Fielding
In allowing ministers to interpret law-breaking as consistent with the ministerial code, the new cabinet secretary, Simon Case, seems to have fallen at his first hurdle. We must hope it’s a touch early for Polly Toynbee to write him off as Johnson’s “ideal lackey” (Boris Johnson’s push for no deal will harm the country and his party, 14 September). Still, Lord Hennessy, who supervised Case’s PhD, may be reflecting on the praise he lavished so recently, saying that Case’s appointment is “a beacon of hope ... He believes in speaking truth unto power ... He is one of those people ... you don’t mess around with …because they are a level above” (Whitehall chief likely to resist politicisation of civil service, say allies, 2 September).
This puts me in mind of Vernon Bogdanor’s statement that David Cameron was “one of the ablest students I ever taught”. Is endorsement from such academic luminaries the kiss of death? Or is there a disconnect between scholarly achievement and real-world performance in the field of government and politics?Robert GreenThames Ditton, Surrey Continue reading...