Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom, resigned reluctantly on Friday after it was discovered that he had intimidated government employees, albeit he called the investigation’s conclusions “flawed.”
The investigation report into eight formal complaints that Raab, who is also the justice secretary, had been abusive toward staff members during a prior stint in that office and while serving as Britain’s foreign secretary and Brexit secretary, was delivered to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak the day before Raab’s announcement.
Raab “acted in a way which was intimidating,” was “unreasonably and persistently aggressive,” and “introduced an unwarranted punitive element” to his leadership style, according to attorney Adam Tolley, who oversaw the investigation.
“His conduct also involved an abuse or misuse of power in a way that undermines or humiliates,” Tolley stated in the 48-page report. His actions “were bound to be perceived by the affected individual as undermining or humiliating, and it was so perceived.”
Raab, 49, refuted accusations that he treated his employees unfairly and with contempt, asserting that he “behaved professionally at all times.” However, he said he was retiring because he had pledged to do so if the bullying claims were confirmed.
Raab claimed in his resignation letter that the investigation had found two instances of bullying against him and had rejected the others. The investigation “set a dangerous precedent” by “setting the threshold for bullying so low,” he claimed, calling the conclusions “flawed.”
Raab claimed that since he had pledged to retire, he was “duty bound” to do so.
Sunak welcomed the resignation “with great sadness,” he wrote in a letter that lauded much of Raab’s accomplishments. He also mentioned the investigation’s “shortcomings,” which he claimed had “negatively affected everyone involved.”
Sunak appointed Alex Chalk as justice secretary and senior Cabinet member Oliver Dowden as deputy prime minister.
Sunak was spared the tough burden of deciding the destiny of his top deputy thanks to the resignation.
If he had kept Raab in the position, he would have come under fire for failing to deliver on his promise to bring back integrity to the Conservative government. If he had fired Raab, he would have come under more fire for hiring him in the first place despite allegedly receiving warnings about Raab’s behavior.
Sunak didn’t make a choice right away after receiving the probe findings on Thursday morning. Prior to Raab’s departure, spokesman Max Blain stated that Sunak continued to have “full confidence” in Raab while he studied the report.
According to the ministerial code of conduct, ministers must respect others and maintain decent and appropriate interactions with their coworkers, civil servants, and staff. It states that bullying, harassment, and discrimination won’t be permitted.
Blain said Raab made the correct choice in resigning since any bullying is unacceptable. He avoided being asked if Sunak would have fired him if he hadn’t resigned.
Sunak’s political adversaries had an opportunity to criticize him for hesitating and failing to fire Raab because of his failure to act promptly as he had promised.
Keir Starmer, the head of the opposition Labour Party, said to broadcasters: “What I think this shows is the continued weakness of the prime minister.” Along with other Cabinet members who shouldn’t have been selected, he should never have been appointed in the first place, and he wasn’t fired either. Even now, Raab takes the reins rather than the Prime Minister.
Raab was chosen to serve in the House of Commons in 2010. In 2019, he made an unsuccessful bid to lead the Conservative Party before endorsing Boris Johnson. Johnson appointed him deputy prime minister, and when Johnson was hospitalized in April 2020 with COVID-19, he briefly assumed that position.
Raab wrote in his letter that he was “sincerely sorry for any unintended stress or offense that any officials felt” and that he had “not intentionally belittled anyone.”
He stated that the investigation found he hadn’t “sworn or shouted at anyone, let alone thrown anything or otherwise physically intimidated anyone.”
The bullying investigation is Sunak’s most recent ethical difficulty. After three years of turmoil under predecessors Johnson and Liz Truss, Sunak promised to bring order and integrity back to the government. Johnson was removed from office in the summer of 2022 due to a number of scandals, while Truss resigned in October after only six weeks because her tax-cutting economic policies caused havoc on the financial markets.
Sunak, however, has found it difficult to refute opposition claims that the Conservative government is still mired in scandal and sleaze, and he is currently under investigation.
This week, a parliamentary watchdog revealed that he was investigating whether Sunak correctly disclosed his wife’s ownership stake in a business that stands to gain from a significant increase in the amount of free child care in his administration’s budget.
Gavin Williamson, a member of Sunak’s Cabinet, resigned in November over allegations of bullying. Sunak ousted Nadhim Zahawi, the head of the Conservative Party, in January for keeping a multimillion-dollar tax battle a secret.
A separate investigation is being conducted into allegations that Johnson obtained a loan with the assistance of Richard Sharp, a Conservative contributor who later became head of the BBC.
