A JUDGE has dismissed claims by a trade union that Boris Johnson breached the Ministerial code by backing Priti Patel over bullying allegations.

The FDA union challenged the Prime Minister after he went against the findings of his former adviser on ministerial standards, claiming he had “misinterpreted” the code.

Alex Allan, the Prime Minister’s former adviser, concluded an investigation last November into the Home Secretary’s behaviour, finding that she had not always treated civil servants with “consideration and respect”.

He found: “Her approach on occasions has amounted to behaviour that can be described as bullying in terms of the impact felt by individuals. To that extent, her behaviour has been in breach of the ministerial code, even if unintentionally.”

Mr Johnson, the arbiter of the ministerial code, said Patel was “unaware” of the impact she had and he was “reassured” she was “sorry for inadvertently upsetting those with whom she was working”.

In a court ruling today, Lord Justice Lewis, sitting with Mrs Justice Steyn, dismissed the FDA’s claim.

Lord Justice Lewis concluded that Mr Johnson had not misdirected himself as to the provisions of the Ministerial Code when reaching his decision.

The judge said: “The question for this court is whether the Prime Minister proceeded on the basis that conduct would not fall within the description of bullying within paragraph 1.2 of the Ministerial Code if the person concerned was unaware of, or did not intend, the harm or offence caused.

“Reading the statement (made by Mr Johnson) as a whole, and in context, we do not consider that the Prime Minister misdirected himself in that way.”

But, at a hearing last month, lawyers for the FDA, which represents senior public servants, argued Mr Johnson “misinterpreted” the term “bullying” in the Ministerial Code when deciding if Ms Patel’s treatment of civil servants breached its standards.

They alleged he made a “misdirection of law” in reaching his decision.

Lawyers for Mr Johnson argued that the FDA’s claim was “not justiciable” and that there had been “no error of law”.

They said the Ministerial Code “does not create or impose any legal duties on ministers or the Prime Minister”, is “not required by law”, and its contents are “not regulated by law”.

The code is a “political document” and “not about protecting the rights of civil servants” who still have access “to all the employment law rights”, the Prime Minister’s lawyer argued.