MI5 chiefs insist they are NOT keeping secrets from Priti Patel

MI5 yesterday claimed Priti Patel is the victim of a dirty tricks campaign as it denied withholding intelligence from her.

In a highly unusual move, spy chiefs rebutted allegations made over the weekend that they do not trust the Home Secretary.

The whispering campaign against Miss Patel stepped up a gear at the weekend as anonymous sources reportedly claimed she was being kept out of the loop by intelligence officials.

In a poisonous briefing, one official claimed: ‘The spooks find her extremely difficult to deal with. She doesn’t grasp the subtleties of intelligence.

‘It’s not black and white. They don’t have confidence in her abilities.’ 

A second source told The Sunday Times that the senior Cabinet minister receives less classified information than her predecessors. ‘They [the intelligence services] have to decide how much to share, and they share less.

The source added: ‘She is also informed about things later in the decision-making process than before. Some things the security services do have legal implications, but she tends not to want to hear that.’

But MI5 last night moved to quash the claims, as it warned that the ‘untrue’ accusations do ‘not serve the public interest’.

A security source said: ‘Reports suggesting that the Home Secretary and MI5 do not have a strong working relationship are simply untrue. The Home Secretary is briefed daily on intelligence matters in exactly the same way as any previous post holder. No information is being withheld. 

‘Any report suggesting otherwise is simply wrong and does not serve the public interest.’ An ally of Miss Patel last night said: ‘Someone is clearly out to get Priti. The made-up briefing about our intelligence services has crossed the line.’

The minister has faced a wave of negative briefings after allegations that she had tried to remove her most senior civil servant – permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam – following a series of rows.

Allies of the Home Secretary were forced to deny claims that she had ‘bullied and belittled’ officials, made unreasonable demands or created an ‘atmosphere of fear’. According to The Times, Sir Philip has raised concerns with the Cabinet Office about the minister. But friends of Miss Patel are thought to have regarded the clashes as about nothing out of the ordinary.

A source said they ‘strongly refute’ accusations of bullying or belittling and had never seen any evidence of this, instead describing her as ‘demanding but kind’, adding: ‘But it is a demanding job, that’s the nature of the job.’

The Home Office said ‘no formal complaints’ had been made.

The Daily Mail revealed last week how Miss Patel fell out with Home Office officials after she accused them of dragging their feet over tougher action against eco-warrriors. She wanted them to look into ways to change police powers to stop protesters bringing cities to a standstill, a Government source said.

But the Home Secretary felt they were raising objections to reforms which could have helped the police tackle organisations such as Extinction Rebellion.

It is thought that Miss Patel wants to include the new measures in the Police Powers and Protection Bill expected to be submitted in the summer.

Measures would not include the use of force but would be designed to ensure individuals can get to work or avoid seeing their businesses forced to shut.