Global Statistics

UK Deputy PM Dominic Raab Steps Down Following Accusations of Bullying

Following an independent investigation into allegations of bullying against him, Dominic Raab, the British Deputy Prime Minister, resigned from his position on Friday, marking the third senior minister to leave the government over personal conduct issues in the last six months.

The resignation is a major blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s efforts to revive the Conservative Party’s fortunes and maintain a government of integrity.

Raab submitted his resignation letter to the Prime Minister before the report was made public, stating his commitment to step down if any findings of bullying were reported.

Sunak expressed deep sadness at accepting Raab’s resignation but emphasized the importance of ministers upholding the highest standards.

The timing of the resignation, just two weeks before the English local council elections, is predicted to damage the Conservative Party’s performance.

Although Dominic Raab held no formal powers as the Deputy Prime Minister, he served as a stand-in for the Prime Minister when necessary and was a close political ally of Rishi Sunak, supporting his campaign to become Prime Minister last summer.

However, his resignation due to allegations of bullying is unlikely to improve public perception of the government, which has already been marred by scandals during Boris Johnson’s tenure and chaotic economic policies that led to the departure of Liz Truss after just two months.

The five-month investigation into Raab’s behavior involved testimony from multiple government officials regarding complaints of bullying across three different departments.

The independent report by lawyer Adam Tolley found Raab’s conduct to be “intimidating” and “persistently aggressive” while serving at the Foreign Office, and at the Justice Ministry, he had gone “further than necessary or appropriate in delivering critical feedback and also insulting, in the sense of making unconstructive critical comments about the quality of work done.”

Tolley stated that Raab had been able to regulate his “abrasiveness” since the investigation was announced and that he should have altered his approach earlier.

‘DANGEROUS PRECEDENT

Raab requested the investigation in November following formal complaints about his behavior by government officials. He said he felt “duty bound” to accept the outcome of the inquiry but also staunchly defended his conduct.

He said the report had concluded he had not once sworn, shouted, or physically intimidated anyone in four and a half years, and had dismissed all but two of the claims against him.

Raab apologized for any unintended stress or offense caused but said the decision to set a threshold for bullying so low “set a dangerous precedent” for the conduct of good government.

This will “have a chilling effect on those driving change on behalf of your government – and ultimately the British people”, he said in his letter.

Raab referred to the two incidents where there was a finding of bullying against him — one at the Foreign Office in dealing with a senior diplomat’s handling of the Brexit negotiation over Gibraltar, and one where he gave critical feedback during an earlier stint at the Ministry of Justice from 2021 to 2022.

Keir Starmer, the leader of the main opposition Labour Party, accused Sunak of “weakness” for failing to sack his deputy rather than letting him resign.

Another of Sunak’s senior ministers, Gavin Williamson, also quit in November after bullying allegations, and the prime minister sacked Conservative Party chair Nadhim Zahawi in January after he was found to have broken the ministerial code over his openness about his tax affairs.

Sunak is facing his own investigation by parliament’s standards watchdog into his behavior over whether he properly declared his wife’s shareholding in a childcare company that stands to benefit from the new government policy.

Hot Topics

Related Articles