HOW is Priti Patel still in a job?

It is beyond stupidity.

Just the basic facts for you: the Home Secretary was found by standards chief Sir Alex Allan to have broken the code governing ministers' behaviour, in normal times a offence that would see a minister sacked.

The inquiry into the matter, an independent inquiry, found Ms Patel "shouted and swore" at staff in behaviour "that can be described as bullying".

But on this occasion Prime Minister Boris Johnson decided (because he knows better than the results of an inquiry and wants to keep her) to just do what he wants and ignore the problem.

Is it really worth it Prime Minister?

What are the exceptional skills she offers that make her unsackable?

READ MORE: Timeline of events in Priti Patel bullying inquiry

READ MORE: Worcester Southco chief defends firm after Covid cases claim

And after all this who is the person leaving their job? You guessed it, Sir Alex Allan who seemingly felt he had to quit because he had had enough. Who can blame him.

Some may think bullying is not a big deal, not a reason for someone to have to leave a job, but it is. "There must be no bullying and no harassment."

Not my words, the words of the PM in the foreword to the ministerial code.

This had been billed as the week of a big reset for the government. More friendly, more decisive, moving on from Cummings.

But all we got was a reminder that when the PM needs to act and make the right decision quickly, he chooses to either delay, duck it, or - as we have seen with Ms Patel - purposely do the wrong thing to suit him.

Surely after the Cummings affair he learned one person is not bigger than the entire administration.

In the end all the PM managed to do this week was find another way to weaken his fragile government.