Downing Street hits back in desperate battle to save Byers

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The Government machine launched an attempt to save the political skin of Stephen Byers, the embattled Transport Secretary, last night by rounding on his former Civil Service director of communications.

Downing Street joined forces with Sir Richard Mottram, the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR), to hit back at Martin Sixsmith, who at the weekend gave his explosive version of the "spin wars" between civil servants and Jo Moore, the former special adviser to Mr Byers.

In an unprecedented move, Sir Richard issued a lengthy statement insisting that Mr Sixsmith "agreed to resign" 11 days ago during the row over whether Ms Moore had suggested the DTLR should bury rail performance figures by issuing them on the same day as Princess Margaret's funeral.

Sir Richard said that Mr Sixsmith, who denies that he has resigned, withdrew his offer after news of it leaked out prematurely. Sir Richard insisted that he, rather than Mr Byers, concluded that both Mr Sixsmith and Ms Moore should leave their posts, but added that the Transport Secretary agreed with his proposal.

Supporters of Mr Byers hope that the intervention of the DTLR's top civil servant will enable him to defy the growing calls for Mr Blair to sack him. But there were further signs last night that Mr Byers has lost the confidence of his own officials, which puts another big question mark over his future.

Despite his public support of the Government's version of events, Sir Richard was said to be "hugely aggrieved" privately about Mr Byers's account of the departure of Mr Sixsmith.

Other officials said Sir Richard felt a "deep sense of betrayal" over the Transport Secretary's refusal to take responsibility for the row over Mr Sixsmith's "resignation".

Even Mr Byers' own private office was said to feel that "enough is enough", according to one source inside the DTLR.

When officials heard that Mr Byers said in a weekend television interview that Mr Sixsmith's departure was a matter for Sir Richard, "they went bonkers", one source said.

"Civil servants expect a degree of protection from ministers in return for professional loyalty," he said. "They feel Byers has stabbed them in the back and the front. How can officials supply Byers with honest advice, if they believe they could be publicly held to account if it goes wrong?" Downing Street insisted that Mr Byers still enjoyed the "full confidence" of Mr Blair. However, it failed to endorse his claim that he was not involved in Mr Sixsmith's departure.

The Tories said Sir Richard's statement had "blown his defence that he doesn't get involved in personnel matters completely out of the water".

Iain Duncan Smith, the Tory leader, said: "Stephen Byers has clearly lost control. If he can't get a grip of his own staff, how is he ever going to get to grips with the rail network? He should go, and go now."

The pressure on Mr Byers mounted when the Liberal Democrats called for his resignation for the first time. Charles Kennedy, the party leader, said "the accumulation of facts" about the fracas and his handling of policy issues such as air traffic control and the railways meant he could not do his job properly.

Mr Sixsmith was said to be "relaxed" about Sir Richard's statement. "He has the greatest respect for Sir Richard Mottram," a friend said. "Martin sticks 100 per cent by his version of the facts, including the fact that he did not resign."

According to Mr Sixsmith's supporters, he was offered two options by Sir Richard. One was said to have been described by Sir Richard as the "muddle-through route", with no resignations at all, while the "radical" alternative was a double resignation, with both Ms Moore and Mr Sixsmith going.

Although discussions about the terms of Mr Sixsmith's departure are continuing, ministers believe it is now inevitable that he will leave the Civil Service. Allies of Mr Sixsmith claim some government sources are trying to blacken his character.

Ministers' hopes that Sir Richard's statement would draw a line under the affair look certain to be dashed. The Commons Public Administration Select Committee announced an investigation into the relationship between Civil Service press officers and the special advisers to ministers.