A senior civil servants' trade union has dismissed as ‘nonsense' claims that mandarins are secretly plotting to dismantle the influential – and often highly critical – Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chaired by Margaret Hodge MP.

In an escalation of the row over the parliamentary accountability of Whitehall's top officers for the implementation of policy, Ms Hodge last week delivered a speech at the Policy Exchange think-tank, arguing that the civil service hid behind ministers – evading transparency and responsibility for poor performance.