The prime minister should not have asked cabinet secretary Jeremy Heywood to investigate allegations that Andrew Mitchell had broken the ministerial code last September, according to a report published this week by the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC).
The cabinet secretary already has “intense pressure on his time and attention,” says the report, and the role of investigator “may conflict with his primary role”.
The investigation should have been carried out by Sir Alex Allan, the prime minister’s adviser on ministers’ interests, says the report. It also criticises the government for not responding to previous recommendations, made last March, that Sir Alex be give powers to instigate investigations on his own initiative.