Who is accountable when things go wrong in government? – BBC Newsnight

The Department for Education’s permanent secretary has been sacked after the exams row, as the PM calls for ‘fresh leadership’. Subscribe to our channel here: https://goo.gl/31Q53F

The chief civil servant at the Department for Education has been sacked following the row over A-level and GCSE results in England. Jonathan Slater was due to stand down next year, but will now leave the department by next week.

Boris Johnson said “there is a need for fresh official leadership”, but the civil service union said there is now a fear civil servants will be thrown under the bus to shield ministers from accountability.

The news comes a day after the head of exam regulator Ofqual, Sally Collier, also resigned from her role. The Education Secretary Gavin Williamson remains in post.

How will Jonathan Slater’s sacking affect the relationship between the civil service and the government?

And who is accountable when things go wrong in government, the minister or the official?

Policy Editor Lewis Goodall reports and Katie Razzall is joined Dave Penman, General Secretary of the FDA union, the union for the civil service.

Newsnight is the BBC’s flagship news and current affairs TV programme – with analysis, debate, exclusives, and robust interviews.

Website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsnight
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About This Source - BBC Newsnight

BBC Newsnight is a programme carried by the BBC in the UK, which is described as “Comprehensive coverage of today’s important national and international news stories.”

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