British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s closest aide and deputy Dominic Raab resigned on Friday, 21 April amid allegations of bullying staff and officials.
Raab posted his resignation letter on Twitter, in which he announced his decision to resign, after an official inquiry found that some of the claims made against him were justified.
In his letter, the now-former deputy prime minister that the report into his conduct upheld two claims against him that are both “flawed.”
"In setting the threshold for bullying so low, this inquiry has set a dangerous precedent. It will encourage spurious complaints against ministers, and have a chilling effect on those driving change on behalf of your government – and ultimately the British people," he added.
The eight complaints filed against him involving at least 24 people pertained to his behaviour while he was acting as the foreign secretary, justice secretary and Brexit secretary.
They were investigated by senior employment lawyer Adam Tolley, who Sunak picked for the case in November 2022.
Tolley also interviewed the top civil servants in the three government departments headed by Raab including Antonia Romeo, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Justice; Simon McDonald, a former permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office; and Philip Rycroft, a former permanent secretary at the now-disbanded Department for Exiting the European Union.
Some of the epithets used to describe his behaviour were "demeaning", "aggressive", "seething", and he was also described as “a monster” who created a “culture of fear” which negatively impacted the mental health of staff and also drove some of them to resign.
This resignation is seen as a blow to British PM Rishi Sunak who had promised to restore order in the UK government after months of instability. He received the investigation report on Thursday but delayed making a final decision while considering the findings.
In his letter to Raab, Sunak said that his deputy prime minister had “rightly” undertaken to resign if the report made any finding of bullying whatsoever.
In a letter to Raab, Sunak said that his former deputy had "rightly" undertaken to resign if the report made any findings of bullying. “You have kept your word," Sunak added.
”But it is clear that there have been shortcomings in the historic process that have negatively affected everyone involved. We should learn from this how to better handle such matters in future.”
Following the investigation, Sunak is likely to face pressure over his earlier decision to re-appoint Raab to the British cabinet in 2022, considering the allegations against the former deputy PM.
The Prime Minister’s office at Downing Street maintained that he had no knowledge about the formal complaints prior to forming his cabinet last October. It is unclear whether he was informed about other concerns about Raab’s conduct.
Raab is not the only Sunak ally to have resigned over bullying claims in the last six months. Gavin Williamson, the former Cabinet Minister, resigned last November after similar allegations emerged which he denied.
Raab has held several government positions, including serving as Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs. Prior to that, he was appointed Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union.
During his time in government, Raab has been involved in negotiations around Brexit, and has been a key figure in the UK's approach to leaving the European Union.
He has also been vocal about human rights abuses in China, and has advocated for sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for the treatment of the Uighur minority in Xinjiang.
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