The Department’s lack of transparency fuelled accusations of political bias in the selection process.16 Furthermore, the Department’s statements to the press, issued after the National Audit Office’s report was published, referred to the report concluding that the selection process had been ‘robust’, whereas the report makes no such statement—which is a clear misrepresentation of the National Audit Office’s report. The Department’s Permanent Secretary said he did not have knowledge of these press statements.17 9 Q 36 10 Qq 35, 40, 102 11 Q 40 12 Qq 40–41 13 Qq 41–45 14 Qq 38–39, 103 15 Q 103; C&AG’s Report, paras 1.5–1.6 16 Qq 41, 52, 102 17 Qq 105–108; and, for example, Financial Times 21 July 2020 10 Selecting towns for the Towns Fund