Coffey urges staff to be positive, be precise, and not use Oxford commas

Thérèse Coffey has described the Oxford comma as one of her ‘pet hates’. Photograph: James Manning/PA

Thérèse Coffey, the new health secretary, has faced criticism after civil servants in her department were advised to avoid jargon when communicating with her – and not to use Oxford commas.

The advice, in a memo to staff at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), urged officials to “be positive” in their missives to Coffey, who is also Liz Truss’s deputy prime minister.