DOMINIC RAAB, the UK’s deputy prime minister and justice secretary, has resigned from his post following months of allegations about bullying behaviour towards civil servants. The senior Conservative MP has been facing multiple formal complaints over his dealings with civil servants, including claims that he bullied and belittled staff, causing some to cry or vomit before meetings. The allegations were first revealed by the Guardian.
Raab’s resignation is a major blow to Prime Minister 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. Sunak had 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.
In his resignation letter, Raab said the conclusions of a report into his conduct set a “dangerous precedent” but stressed he wanted to “keep his word” after undertaking to quit if it found against him. He revealed details of the report, which was passed to Rishi Sunak on Thursday morning, saying “it dismissed all but two of the claims levelled against me”.
Raab defended ministers being able to “give direct critical feedback on briefings and submissions … in order to set the standards and drive the reform the public expect of us”. But he stressed he was “genuinely sorry for any unintended stress or offence that any officials felt, as a result of the pace, standards and challenge that I brought to the Ministry of Justice”.
Raab claimed that Tolley’s report found he had “not once, in four and a half years, sworn or shouted at anyone, let alone thrown anything or otherwise physically intimidated anyone, nor intentionally sought to belittle anyone”. He appeared to criticise the case against him, saying that “in setting the threshold for bullying so low, this inquiry has set a dangerous precedent”.
Raab’s departure is the second enforced ministerial resignation over claims of bullying 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.
Some Tory MPs are privately concerned that Sunak’s handling of the row would further undermine his pledge to instil “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level” of his government as he tries to move on from the Boris Johnson era. 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. Tolley also interviewed all three senior civil servants who worked with Raab while he held cabinet positions.
Raab has 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. However, his resignation marks the end of his tenure as deputy prime minister and justice secretary.
