News about Simon McDonald

Following the Conservative Party's booking out their college's hall for a dinner, more than 200 students at Cambridge University have sent an open letter citing questions for their "safety." In a letter sent to former Whitehall mandarin Simon McDonald, who is now Master of Christ's College, Cambridge, undergraduates raised the concerns. In a lengthy letter (inset) to Lord McDonald's Jr. Common Room (JCR), trainee solicitor Ossie Visick (left), the president of Christ's Junior Common Room (JCR), she wondered why CUCA was allowed to book the hall considering that it is used on the same date every year for the Bridgemas event. He accused CUCA of 'polarizing image,' and that students have 'raised questions about being unsafe' as a result of the program. However, a CUCA spokeswoman retaliated in April, saying that the hall was booked in April and that the JCR had failed to respond early enough to obtain November 25 for their dinner. These students are using extreme rhetoric in an attempt to shame their college into canceling their program and stifle discussion on conservative topics,' they said.

GUY ADAMS: Simon McDonald, also known as Lord McDonald of Salford, spent almost four decades on greasy poles before receiving the honor of Permanent Under-Secretary at Her Majesty's Foreign Office, which he served from 2015 to 2020. The often-bespectacled mandarin was binded by the Civil Service Code, the foundation of Britain's modern democracy, throughout his lengthy and distinguished career. The paper outlines the intricate relationship between elected politicians and unelected Whitehall officials, requiring the former to abandon ideology and always "serve the government to the best of their ability." It specifically discourages civil servants from seeking to'frustrate the implementation of measures' that have been endorsed by their political leaders, and states that civil servants must continue to act with scrupulous impartiality and never allow personal political convictions to determine any recommendation or behavior. All of which accounts for Lord McDonald's outrage over a television interview this week, in which BBC's Laura Kuenssberg outlines how staff under his command responded to the decision.

AMANDA PLATELL: Meghan received a rapturous welcome at the Games' Family & Friends party in Dusseldorf, as she joined Harry in the Invictus Games. It was the first time Harry and Megs had appeared together at a formal event in four months, and their loved-up appearance told a somewhat different tale from those who suspect their marriage is in danger.

The DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Sir Keir's ardent desire to re-enter discussions with the EU would be more than the first step toward unpicking Brexit freedoms.

Former Foreign Office chief Simon McDonald (pictured) said in an extraordinary remark that he had told workers that he voted Remain in the aftermath of the 2016 referendum to demonstrate sympathy with his shell-shocked officials. After Britain voted to leave the EU, Lord McDonald said the step was necessary to'maintain integrity' in a sector that was left 'in mourning.' However, his decision seemed to be in violation of the Civil Service Act and fueled fears that senior officials were attempting to prevent Brexit. Sir Simon's remarks, according to former Cabinet Minister Liam Fox, were "completely inaccurate."

MPs are reportedly furious that they have been practically forbidden from discussing the suspected finding of a spy in their ranks, according to DAILY MAIL's COMMENT.

NADINE DORRIES: Matthew Ineson was raped in Bradford by a Church of England priest. On the day he was supposed to appear in court for serious sex offenses, the priest took his own life. Matthew, the rape who has given up his right to anonymity, told the then Bishop of Sheffield, Dr Steven Croft (now Bishop of Oxford), about what he'd endured both in writing and on phone in 2012.

Simon McDonald, ex-head of the Foreign Office, named the son of a former Cabinet Minister as one of a group of MI6 officers he encountered in the early 1990s. The Mail on Sunday learned that Lord McDonald's decision to name the individual in a book enraged Whitehall chiefs. And it turned out that he had not even obtained permission from the Cabinet Office ahead of the publication of his book, Leadership: Lessons From A Life In Diplomacy. The government must approve all books issued by civil servants.

Dominic Raab, the UK deputy prime minister, is under scrutiny for eight formal allegations of bullying raised by at least 24 civil servants. Staff were left feeling "suicidal" and accused Mr Raab of behaving like a "controlling and abusive" spouse. According to several officials, Mr Raab introduced impossible laws but then belittled and humiliated them if they failed to comply.

According to the Guardian, Simon McDonald, the then permanent secretary of the Foreign Office, and the civil servant also informally discussed the situation with the Cabinet Office's propriety and ethics team. None of the officials made a formal complaint, according to reports, but several people left earlier than anticipated because of Mr Raab's conduct. Mr Raab, who would speak for Rishi Sunak (right) at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, was already in the spotlight over reports of alleged clashes with Ministry of Justice officials. When he was reinstated in October, employees were reportedly given a 'route out' of his service.