This is a smirking Philip Barton admitting that as a Permanent Private Secretary it is not “unheard of” for information to be withheld from their bosses! And Emily Thornberry is stunned. For those asking who runs the country, it isn’t the people you vote for.

Thornberry knows this. Her faux outrage is only to be expected.

There needs to be changes made to stop this. These people have way too much power for the unelected. And we wonder why the parties were so similar. It's because of these people manipulating the MPs. They pick and choose what to pass on? Craziness

Has no one seen Yes Minister?

It’s completely that!

It's not a joking matter. This makes a farce of democracy and just evidences that when tshtf, it's the blob that actually runs Britain. Conspiracy theory number 3,462 proven true.

Hes a typical snivel servants talks a lot while only saying wasnt me, its policy. I could have pulled my hair out ffs. Just stop lying

@sexbasedrights Starmer will throw anyone under the bus to save himself

These people need to watch the old Yes Minister series for some education. It was evidently very close to the reality.

They do not consider the Elected Members their "Bosses" They consider them at most an inconvenience, that they only have to wait a minimum of 5 years to have to endure.

@georgegalloway Faux surprise from Thornberry… all part of the show. I can picture Thornberry laughing and joking with Barton over a drink after about their performance.

@georgegalloway So who runs the government - it’s a messed up antiquated government system - compared to other countries it promotes secrecy, corruption (lobbying and corporate payments eg Wes Streeting), and is full of bloated fiefdoms of civil servants protecting their little empires.

@windgieindgie Civil servants who withhold information from their elected bosses should be dismissed on the spot.

Why don't ppl appreciate that in this age of technology the phrase "The camera never lies" has become more true than ever Every smirk, rapid blink, fearful gulp captured Your body language tells the truth as you lie Frame by frame, the tiniest movement analysed, enabling viewers to draw their own conclusions- accurate or not... you're cooked

Well yes, it's called deniability. It allows Keir Starmer to deny knowing things on a regular basis.

@saralisehowe It's almost as if nobody ever watched Yes Minister

That might be OK for some things, but absolutely not for the security vetting outcome of the most senior ambassadorial post in the FCDO - Ambassador to the US. But the PM still should have actively requested the report's outcome.

@KatieM12121 Yes,good actress,isn’t she, for this thoroughly choreographed nonsense.

Certain Civil servants and mandarins are the snakes behind the destruction of & asset theft from SMEs following the financial crash. They have never been scrutinised for that, look @hmtreasury who "lost" all the files on the Asset Protection Scheme & who bought covered assets.

As just one example, would anyone want Labour ministers to have access to the highly personal details revealed by security vetting? There are firewalls between the civil service and politicians for very good reasons. Not everything is a demented conspiracy theory.

Why is it always some bald fucking gimp? I hate them all so much.

''Yes, Minister'' 😂

Same for Lincolnshire County Council - officers are firmly in charge and councillors swallow the bs they’re fed like good sheep.

@Dawn26043513 He is an embodiment of everything thats wrong with the snivelling service.

His performance is not at all convincing. Very wishy-washy.

He looks as devious as a barrowload of monkeys....

This is EXACTLY what @Dominic2306 has been saying for years and years.... Nobody wanted to believe him then, and I'd be surprised if this changes the way the Blob operates. It's "Yes, Prime Minister" in real life.

@lipotidae Faux surprise all round? Or have none of you ever seen or heard of the brilliant comedy? Yes, Minister? Really? Ya'll didn't know there have always been competent civil servants making things work.

Drain the swamp....

Quite believable when you consider this is the classic "plausible deniability" scenario. They don't give information explicitly as the politician can then deny being given the information. Even though the truth is that the lack of information is in itself information.

@danwootton He’s like a ‘Billy Bunter’ public school boy being caught smoking behind the cycle shed. Posh civil servant for life, has no idea about what hard working tax payers actual want or do. Lives in a bubble, couldn’t care less about the public, looking towards his gold plated pension.

Would you prefer talentless politicians or experienced civil servants to run the country 🤔

Sorry, but is it unheard of that MPs withhold information from the public, who are, after all, the people who put the MPs where they are? Most of the time a PPS is another MP in the same party.

Why are people shocked that it's the civil service that run the country and not the politicians? Have people never seen Yes Minister?

The shows 'Yes, Minister' and 'Yes, Prime Minister' look more like serious documentaries as the years go by.

Hasn't been for a long time but now the state is completely dominated by a particular ideology.