Yesterday I explained how sources are blaming the civil service for not preventing the government from carrying out some of its own policies. In particular government sources were seeking to excuse the Prime Minister from the bad political outcomes stemming from the Leveson Inquiry because, they claim, it was really the fault of the Cabinet Secretary for not preventing the Prime Minister from acting on his decision to have an Inquiry.

This line of thinking seems to seek to absolve an elected government from responsibility for its policies because an unelected civil service did what it was told to do.