Dominic Raab will face an independent investigation after two formal complaints were made about his conduct.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary wrote to Rishi Sunak on Wednesday morning confirming two separate complaints had been made and asking for an independent inquiry - a request the Prime Minister has granted. In his letter to Mr Sunak, which he posted on Twitter, Raab said he "look(s) forward to addressing these complaints, and continuing to serve as Deputy Prime Minister, Justice Secretary, and Lord Chancellor”.
He went on: "When you entered No 10 Downing Street, on 25th October, you rightly stated that ‘this Government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level’. I am proud to take this as a personal article of faith.
“I have just been notified that two separate complaints have formally been made against me, in parallel, from my time as foreign secretary and my first tenure as Justice Secretary, which ended in September of this year. I am, therefore, writing to request that you commission an independent investigation into the claims as soon as possible. I will co-operate fully and respect whatever outcome you decide.”
Mr Raab has faced a series of allegations he bullied officials and deployed rude and demeaning behaviour in previous Cabinet roles. Mr Sunak, who is in Indonesia at the G20 summit, has so far stood by Mr Raab, who will be further thrust into the spotlight when he deputises for him at Prime Minister’s Questions later on Wednesday.
Top Ministry of Justice officials had reportedly ruled there must be a senior civil servant in the room at all meetings involving Mr Raab due to the recent allegations about his conduct, according to a report in The Guardian on Wednesday. The newspaper also reported that Philip Rycroft, the former permanent secretary to the Department for Exiting the European Union, raised concerns about Mr Raab’s behaviour during his time as Brexit secretary with the then-cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill.
Mr Raab was also reportedly warned about his behaviour towards officials while he was foreign secretary. The concerns were raised with Mr Raab by Lord Simon McDonald, who was the senior civil servant at the Foreign Office, and the mandarin also informally discussed the situation with the Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team, The Guardian reported.
Mr Raab said he remains “committed” to “serving this Government with integrity and professionalism”. He added he welcomed “the opportunity to address any complaints transparently”.
Mr Raab, in his letter to Rishi Sunak, said he had been “blessed to work with a wide range of outstanding civil servants, in particular my brilliant and dedicated private offices”. He wrote: “I have always welcomed the mutual challenge that comes with serious policy-making and public service delivery.
“I have always sought to set high standards and forge teams that can deliver for the British people amidst the acute challenges that we have faced in recent years. I have never tolerated bullying, and always sought to reinforce and empower the teams of civil servants working in my respective departments.”
In a radio interview on Monday, Lord McDonald had acknowledged that allegations Mr Raab could be a bully were plausible. Asked by LBC radio if characterisation of Mr Raab as someone who could bully and around whom bullying could happen, he replied: “Yes.”
Lord McDonald added: “Dominic Raab is one of the most driven people I ever worked for, he was a tough boss. Maybe they are euphemisms, but I worked closely with him and I didn’t see everything that happened.”
Mr Sunak had backed Mr Raab, before the two complaints were revealed, telling reporters in Bali: “I don’t recognise that characterisation of Dominic and I’m not aware of any formal complaints about him. Of course there are established procedures for civil servants if they want to bring to light any issues.”
It is the latest blow to the new prime minister’s administration, after he faced criticism for appointing Sir Gavin Williamson to his senior team despite being told he was under investigation for allegedly bullying a colleague, claims that caused Sir Gavin to quit.
