Dominic Raab resigns as deputy PM after bullying
allegations
Senior Tory MP faced formal complaints over dealings
with civil servants as justice, foreign and Brexit secretary
Pippa
Crerar Political editor
@PippaCrerar
Fri 21 Apr
2023 09.50 BST
Dominic
Raab has resigned as justice secretary and deputy prime minister after months
of allegations about bullying behaviour in the Ministry of Justice and other
Whitehall departments.
The senior
Conservative MP had faced multiple formal complaints over his dealings with
civil servants, including claims, first revealed by the Guardian, that he
bullied and belittled staff, driving some to tears or causing them to vomit
before meetings.
The
departure of such a close political ally is a major blow to Rishi Sunak who
will face questions over his judgment after allowing Raab to stay in post while
an investigation by Adam Tolley KC, a leading employment barrister, was held.
Some Tory
MPs are privately concerned that Sunak’s handling of the row, in the wake of
the Nadhim Zahawi tax affair, would further undermine his pledge to instill
“integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level” of his
government as he tries to move on from the Boris Johnson era.
Raab had
consistently denied any bullying of civil servants, including some in senior
roles, and said he would vigorously contest the formal complaints about his
behaviour as justice secretary and, previously, as foreign secretary and Brexit
secretary.
Sunak
suggested in February that if Tolley concluded that his deputy had fallen short
of the standards expected of somebody in his position, he would be sacked.
However, the lawyer’s remit was solely to “establish the facts” of Raab’s
conduct and it was left to the prime minister to decide whether he should face
sanction.
“When I’m
presented with conclusive independent findings that someone in my government
has not acted with the integrity or standards that I would expect of them, I
won’t hesitate to take swift and decisive action,” he said at the time. Raab
had also said he would respect the findings of the inquiry.
Dozens of
Raab’s own staff were interviewed by Tolley as complainants or witnesses, or
submitted written evidence to the inquiry, which was set up by Sunak last
November. He also interviewed all three senior civil servants who worked
withRaab while he was holding cabinet positions.
Raab’s
enforced ministerial departure over claims of bullying is the second since
Sunak became prime minister on 25 October. In early November, Gavin Williamson
resigned as a cabinet office minister after allegations, revealed by the
Guardian, that he told a senior civil servant to “slit your throat” while he
was defence secretary, and the emergence of abusive messages to a Tory
colleague.
More details soon ….
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