Civil servants should shut up and get on with Brexit, says Bernard Ingham

He said Sir Ivan Rogers’s resignation as the UK ambassador to the EU was disgraceful and cast doubt on the integrity of the upper Civil Service.

Sir Bernard, who was Margaret Thatcher’s press secretary at 10 Downing Street, said senior civil servants had effectively put in a pay claim because the scale of the work involved over Brexit was unprecedented.

“You would not think that a top civil servant’s average salary is £77,000 and that 360 are paid more than the Prime Minister’s £149,440. Have they all become sissies? I doubt whether a lot of them know what work is.”

Sir Bernard, writing in the Yorkshire Post, said Sir Ivan’s job was to advise the Government and not to criticise the Prime Minister publicly over ministers’ handling of the issue.

“His behaviour is disgraceful, casts serious doubts on the independence and objectivity of the upper Civil Service and damages his calling.

“We could do with hearing a lot less from civil servants and a lot more quiet dedication to implementing Government policy.

“They may think their political bosses are dead wrong and useless but at least they know what they have to do: get us out of the EU sharpish and no fiddling. They should shut up and get on with it.”