Getty ImagesThe Government is facing questions over the reappointment to a senior civil service role of someone linked to past donations to the Labour Party.
Emily Middleton has been appointed Director-General of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSIT), led by Secretary of State Peter Kyle.
She was previously a partner at consultancy Public Digital, which covered her secondment to Opposition Mr Kyle’s office – an in-kind donation of more than £65,000.
The Conservative Party described it as a “growing scandal involving the appointment of donors to senior positions”.
A government spokesman said the appointment was made “in accordance with civil service recruitment regulations.”
The Conservatives have questioned the government’s top civil servant about what was known about the donations when Middleton took office and what role Kyle played in the process.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Rachel Reeves is under pressure to reveal whether she played a role in the appointment of former banker and Labour donor Ian Caulfield as director of investment at the Treasury.
The opposition Labour Party has repeatedly accused the Conservatives of practicing “nepotism” by appointing political friends to public offices.
Downing Street has also been asked to comment on whether the Prime Minister approved Mr Middleton’s appointment and whether he was aware that his former employers had donated to the Labour party.
According to evidence given by Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, to the House of Lords Constitution Select Committee, “all appointments at the level of chancellor and above are approved by the Prime Minister”.
Conservative shadow science minister Andrew Griffiths raised the issue of civil service impartiality in a letter sent to Mr Case on July 26 and published on X on Friday.
He suggested Middleton’s appointment appeared to set “a new and clear precedent for ministers to directly appoint individuals whose employers have recently made significant political donations to senior civil servant positions”.
Also on X programme, Conservative leadership candidate James Cleverley said he found Labour’s civil service recruitment practices “highly questionable”, a reference to Sue Gray, Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff.
“It is amusing that senior civil servants join the Labour Party and then many Labour members are appointed to the civil service!” he wrote.
According to Middleton’s LinkedIn profile, she was “seconded to the Labour Party advising on digital public service reform” from January to July.
She was previously seconded to Labour Together, a think tank close to Sir Keir.
Her new job at DSIT is Director General of Digital Centre Design.
The Director General is the most senior civil servant and earns an annual salary of between £125,000 and £208,100.
In the Middleton and Corfield cases, some Conservatives have questioned whether the Civil Service Commission, which regulates personnel, knew about past donations to Labour officials.
But the committee told the BBC this was not an issue it would consider.
“exception”
“It is the role of (government) departments to consider appropriateness and background checks,” the spokesman said.
“Exceptions” to the normal appointment process have been granted more than 100 times in the past 12 months and can apply in cases involving external candidates.
In this situation, CSC is focusing on the “business case,” a spokesman said.
They previously told the BBC: “All exceptional appointees have a responsibility under the Civil Service Act to act impartially, objectively, with integrity and honesty.”
There is no rule that automatically bars someone from being appointed to public office because of political contributions.
According to the Ministerial Code, ministers “must ensure that there is no conflict, or what may reasonably be perceived as a conflict, between their public duties and their private interests (including financial interests)”.
“Each Minister is responsible for considering the advice he or she receives from the permanent secretary and any independent advisers to the Minister’s interests and determining what action is necessary to avoid conflict or the perception of conflict.”
