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21st Apr 2023

Dominic Raab resigns as deputy prime minister after bullying allegations

Steve Hopkins

Raab claimed the findings of the report set ‘a dangerous precedent for the conduct of good government’

Dominic Raab has resigned as justice secretary and deputy prime minister.

The senior Tory MP quit Friday after months of allegations about bullying behaviour in the Ministry of Justice and other Whitehall departments.

Raab faced numerous formal complaints over his dealings with civil servants, including claims, first revealed by the Guardian, that he bullied and belittled staff, driving some to tears or causing them to vomit before meetings.

Raab quit shortly after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was handed a report into allegations of bullying behaviour.

The report has yet to be made public, but in a letter announcing his resignation, Raab took issue with it and revealed that lawyer Adam Tolley upheld two of the eight allegations against him.

The minister had told Sky News he would resign if any of the complaints were upheld.

In his letter, Raab wrote: “Whilst I feel duty bound to accept the outcome of the inquiry, it dismissed all but two of the claims levelled against me.

“I also believe that its two adverse findings are flawed and set a dangerous precedent for the conduct of good government.

“First, ministers must be able to exercise direct oversight with respect to senior officials over critical negotiations conducted on behalf of the British people, otherwise the democratic and constitutional principle of ministerial responsibility will be lost.”

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