some quick thoughts on #rutnam resignation. Philip does not do things lightly. He will have thought long and hard about whether and how to leave. His statement is much more incendiary even than Ivan Rogers exit email which was (in theory) internal
His decision to sue has precedents at lower levels and from agency heads.. but not for permanent secretaries. breakdowns of ministerial-civil service relations are usually done behind closed doors.. a peerage, job at the Bank of England or....
Clearly the Cabinet Office tried this in this case. But Rutnam's decision to resign publically makes clear that he did not think the Cabinet Office would protect the department's civil servants if he went quietly.
Lots of questions for Mark Sedwill to answer.. Lots of civil servants will be looking for him for assurances - but he will be compromised by the implication he tried to hush this up.
there is another side to this too. The Home Office has always been regarded as a ministerial graveyard. Many ministers will know that a HO posting could end their career. This from @Jacqui_Smith1 to @instituteforgov 
Amber Rudd complained recently about the lack of support she had from her permanent secretary over her Windrush resignation. Some senior officials were shuffled off - but Rutnam continued. We may now see the Williams report sooner rather than later.
what will be interesting is to see who applies to take over. the job looks impossible: a difficult Home Secretary, an undeliverable agenda all grafted onto one of the most troubled depts in government. Not sure internal applicants will be queuing up
so will No.10 see this as an opportunity to bring in an external candidate. Maybe? and will willingness/ ability to work with Priti Patel act as a quasi political litmus test.
interesting whether more permanent secretaries are considering their position.. Rutnam is the third perm sec to go this year after Jonathan Stephens retired, Melanie Dawes moved to @Ofcom - will there be more?
or will there be a more explicit attempt to tear up the normal rules.. we already have the strange case of @DavidGHFrost - not a minister, not a civil servant, running the negotiation -- that model clearly works for this govt. They may want more.
will the Cabinet Secretary hold the line? Does he want to? How this plays out is going to tell us a lot about both what is going on in government now - and how it will develop over the next few years.
