The top trending hashtag, #IStandWithPritiPatel comes after Danny Shaw, BBC Home Affairs Correspondent revealed that an additional complaint had been filed by a former employee whilst she worked at the Department for Work and Pensions from May 2015 to July 2016.
— Danny Shaw (@DannyShawBBC) March 1, 2020
According to Mr Shaw, a Whitehall insider said that Mrs Patel had created a "hostile and unhappy" environment for civil servants by "questioning their capability and undermining their performance".
"I felt very sorry for people in her private office - they felt bullied," the Whitehall insider said as quoted by Mr Shaw.
But a DWP source acknowledged that she was "demanding", but not a bully as described by her accusers.
The DWP source said as quoted by Mr Shaw: "I wouldn't describe her as a bully. She was difficult and not afraid to say when she was unhappy.
Hitting back on Twitter, one user said that it was "funny" Conservatives accused UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of being a "threat to national security" despite Patel's past actions.
— Freddie (@FreddieBailey96) March 1, 2020
But user Diana Harding slammed the comments as "tittle tattle from the BBC", adding the Home secretary was just "speaking their mind".
— Diana Harding (@DianaHarding7) March 2, 2020
Mrs Patel had "accepted the 2016 democratic referendum result" and that the "supposedly apolitical" former Home Office permanent secretary, Sir Philip Rutnam, did not, Steve Williams tweeted on Monday.
— Steve Williams (@Capta1n_Cat) March 2, 2020
The news come after Sir Philip quit on Saturday and threatened lawsuits against the UK government after claiming Patel created an "atmosphere of fear" via bullying and abuse, including "shouting and swearing" as well as "belittling people".
Patel also launched "vicious and orchestrated briefing campaign", which he said left him no choice but to end his 33-year career, he said in a statement. But Mrs Patel has denied the claims, stating they were "completely false".
