The number of sick days taken by staff at the Ministry of Justice has soared by 50% under Dominic Raab.
The Secretary of State for Justice, who was appointed in September 2021, is being probed for alleged bullying and aggressive behaviour. He denies the claims.
Between April 2020 and April 2021, 175 civil servants at the MoJ took time off for stress, anxiety, depression or other mental health reasons. But that figure rose by more than half, to 267, in the following 12 months.
It has been claimed Mr Raab – who Rishi Sunak made Deputy PM in October – threw tomatoes around in a rage and was nicknamed The Incinerator because he “burns through” staff so quickly.
In the 12 months since his appointment, 963 staff quit at the department’s HQ – up from 610 two years before and 795 last year.
Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reed, who uncovered the figures, said: “As bullying allegations continue to emerge, it is no surprise employees have felt significant pressure under the watch of the Deputy Prime Minister. Rishi Sunak pledged integrity and accountability. This is another example of his weak position within his own party.”
Mr Raab was ousted as Justice Secretary when Liz Truss became PM, but returned to the post seven weeks later under Mr Sunak.
Around half of the staff working in his private office are thought to have asked to move when his return was announced.
Mr Reed also discovered that grievance process mediations at MoJ HQ have soared to 73 this year – up from 49 in 2021.
A spokesman for the MoJ said: “There are more than 11,000 extra staff compared to 2020 so these figures have naturally increased.
“The pandemic has also taken its toll on our staff’s mental health, which is why we’ve responded by training 2,400 employees to support them. There is zero tolerance for bullying across the civil service.”
