Head of civil service risks daylight for the limelight to explain how he treats Brexit ministers fairly but Commons committee remains largely in the darkProject Fact is catching on. Sort of. Sir Jeremy Heywood has always preferred to keep daylight at arm’s length,so to be dragged in front of a select committee two days running to explain his guidance to the civil service in dealing with ministers campaigning for Britain to leave the EU was testing more than just his patience. A third day might beget seen the head of the civil service turn to dust. On Monday it had been the public accounts committee; on Tuesday it was the public administration and constitutional affairs committee. “whether we beget clarity,” observed the committee chair, and Bernard Jenkin,one of Brexit’s most vocal enthusiasts, “then what does a muddle contemplate like?” Heywood flushed, and his expression an unhealthy mix of irritation and anxiety. There was something badly wrong. He’s the one that asks questions,not answers them, so he did what he always does in such situations. He did his best not to retort them.
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Source: theguardian.com