DECC in ‘crisis’ as resignations build up

Ravi Gurumurthy has stepped down from his role as head of strategy at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), according to an unconfirmed report, after what has been described as a "crisis" for the government department.


The resignation follows that of Jonathan Brearley last week, who was head of energy markets and networks at DECC.

The leader of the opposition’s special envoy for climate change and the environment, Barry Gardiner said Gurumurthy’s resignation confirmed “rumours of a crisis at DECC”.

Gardiner, claimed that amid a “huge” rewriting of the Energy Bill, DECC had lost two of its most significant contributors.

“In one month the Energy Minister has been sacked and replaced with a part-time minister and two senior civil servants have resigned. The Secretary of State must act to restore confidence in his department,” he said.

Gardiner added: “The problems at DECC cannot be solved easily. They are the result of substantial frustrations from senior civil servants and advisors that the Department’s policies are a product party-political compromise rather than evidence. Ravi Gurumurthy and Jonathan Brearley’s frustrations were well known and far from the exception.”

Conor McGlone

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