Priti Patel staff member received $ 25,000 for bullying allegations

A former assistant to Priti Patel received a payment of $ 25,000 from the government after claiming that she had been intimidated by the then Minister of Employment.

Legal correspondence seen by the BBC alleges that the woman took an overdose of prescription drugs after the alleged incident in 2015.

The DWP did not acknowledge its responsibility and the case was not brought to court.

Ms. Patel faces allegations – which she denies – that she abused staff in her new role as home secretary.

Sir Interior Minister Sir Philip Rutnam resigned on Saturday alleging that Ms. Patel's conduct towards staff included "swearing, demeaning people, making unreasonable and repeated requests".

• Cabinet Office Investigates Patel Bullying Complaint
• Profile: Priti Patel

He said he now intends to take legal action against the Home Office on the basis of a constructive dismissal, alleging that he had been forced to quit his job.

"Unprovoked assault"

Legal correspondence seen by the BBC shows that a junior DWP employee made a formal complaint of intimidation and harassment against the department, including Ms. Patel, after being dismissed from her job in October 2015.

The grievor's letter of grievance alleges that she had already attempted suicide after reporting similar allegations of workplace intimidation against another person in 2014, before Ms. Patel was a minister.

The employee also alleges that she was informed that the decision to fire her a year later was not made for performance reasons but because Ms. Patel did not like " his face, "according to comments attributed to his supervisor and a colleague.

That day, in October 2015, Ms. Patel yelled at the woman in her private office and told her to "get lost" and "get out of her face", according to correspondence.

Ms. Patel is described as having acted "without warning" and with an "unprovoked level of aggression" in the woman's official complaint.

Shortly thereafter, the grievor allegedly overdosed on prescription drugs at the office and lay her head on the desk for a period of time.

She then stopped responding and her partner was called by a colleague to collect her because she could not walk without help.

The woman then took another overdose at home in what is described as a suicide attempt and was rushed to hospital where she spent the night in intensive care, according to the documents.

Settlement reached in 2017 for 25,000 people after staff member threatened to file a complaint against bullying, harassment and discrimination on the grounds of race and disability, including Ms. Patel , which is directly named.

Asked last week about a complaint against Ms. Patel during her stay at the DWP, a source close to her said she "was unaware of any complaints".

Priti Patel's career as a deputy

• First elected as Member of Parliament for Witham in 2010
• Became Minister of the Treasury in 2014 and Minister of Employment in 2015
• Appointed Secretary of State for International Development in July 2016
• Resigned from her post in 2017 after her revelation, she held undisclosed meetings with Israeli officials during her vacation
• Appointed home secretary in July 2019, position she still holds

Profile: Priti Patel

Prime Minister Boris Johnson supported Priti Patel following Sir Philip's allegations, claiming that she was "a fantastic interior minister".

Cabinet Minister Michael Gove told members that Ms. Patel "absolutely rejects these allegations".

But he said the Prime Minister had asked the Cabinet Office to investigate whether it had broken the ministerial code and "to establish the facts".

"Independent investigation"

Labor MP Hilary Benn asked Mr. Gove if complaints had been made about Ms. Patel's conduct at the DWP, or in her former role as secretary of international development.

Mr Gove said: "The ongoing investigation will examine any complaints that may have been made, I cannot say more."

A government spokesperson said, "All ministers are subject to the ministerial code. We do not comment on personnel matters."

Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn, speaking before the latest allegations, called on Ms. Patel to be dismissed if Sir Philip's allegations were true.

He supported calls from the FDA union, which represents senior officials, for an "independent" investigation into Ms. Patel's behavior.

Asked by Yvette Cooper of Labor about the number of complaints against Ms. Patel, Mr. Gove said it would be "inappropriate" to comment on an "individual staff case".