Decc ‘in chaos’ as second senior civil servant quits

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) has been plunged into "chaos" following unconfirmed reports of a second high profile departure in as many weeks.

Ravi Gurumurthy is said to have left his position as director of strategy at Decc and he follows Jonathan Brearley, the former head of energy markets and networks, out of the Whitehall offices.

Decc refused to deny that Gurumurthy had left his post. A spokesperson said: “We are unable to comment on speculation about personnel matters.

“DECC has a strong leadership team under a new Permanent Secretary and is successfully piloting through major programmes including the Green Deal and Electricity Market Reform.”

Brearley will officially leave his position in July for a “career break”.

The exits come at a crucial time as the Energy Bill, which both men have been influential in drawing up, is about to enter the report stage in the House of Commons.

Labour MP and member of the Energy and Climate Change select committee Barry Gardiner said Gurumurthy’s departure “confirms rumours of a crisis at Decc”.

He 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 of party-political compromise rather than evidence.

“Ravi Gurumurthy and Jonathan Brearley’s frustrations were well known and far from the exception.”