The FDA Union has lost a High Court challenge over Boris’s decision to support Priti Patel after a report found her to have bullied Home Office staff. The FDA, which represents the senior civil servants, claimed the PM’s decision was “irrational” given the obligations of the code, and his own words in its foreword that “there will be no bullying and no harassment”. The ruling reads:

“The decision on the allegations is contained in a government statement. It is important to read the government statement in full and in context. We have considered the government statement carefully. We have concluded that, read in full and in context, the statement does not demonstrate that paragraph 1.2 of the Ministerial Code was misinterpreted in the way suggested by the claimant. For that reason, this claim is dismissed.”

The FDA somehow concludes: “The judgement represents a major victory for the FDA.”