Dominic Raab resigns as UK deputy PM

Dominic Raab, the British Deputy Prime Minister, resigned from the government on Friday following an independent investigation into allegations that he bullied colleagues. His resignation came in a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak just before the report into his conduct was made public.

Raab’s departure is a blow for Sunak just two weeks ahead of English local council elections where his Conservative party is predicted to do badly. It is also the latest scandal to force out one of Sunak’s top ministers over their personal conduct in the past six months, damaging the party’s fortunes.

Raab was a close political ally of Sunak and had no formal powers as deputy prime minister, but he stepped in for the prime minister if he was away from parliament or incapacitated.

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The independent investigation into Raab’s behaviour, which lasted five months, heard evidence from multiple government officials about complaints of bullying at three different departments.

The report by lawyer Adam Tolley found that Raab had acted in an “intimidating” and “persistently aggressive” way while at the Foreign Office, and had gone “further than was necessary or appropriate in delivering critical feedback and also insulting” at the Justice Ministry.

Raab had requested the investigation in November following formal complaints about his behaviour by government officials. He apologised for any unintended stress or offence caused, but also staunchly defended his conduct.

He said the report had concluded he had not once sworn, shouted, or physically intimidated anyone in four and a half years, and had dismissed all but two of the claims against him.

He referred to the two incidents where there was a finding of bullying against him – one at the Foreign Office in dealing with a senior diplomat’s handling of the Brexit negotiation over Gibraltar, and one where he gave critical feedback during an earlier stint at the Ministry of Justice from 2021 to 2022.

– Deep sadness

Sunak said in a letter in reply that he accepted Raab’s resignation with deep sadness, but said it was important that ministers uphold the highest of standards. The loss of the third senior minister over their personal conduct in the past six months will damage Sunak’s efforts to revive the governing Conservative Party’s fortunes.

The prime minister sacked Conservative Party chair Nadhim Zahawi in January after he was found to have broken the ministerial code over his openness about his tax affairs, and another of Sunak’s senior ministers, Gavin Williamson, quit in November after bullying allegations.

Keir Starmer, the leader of the main opposition Labour Party, accused Sunak of “weakness” for failing to sack his deputy rather than letting him resign.

Sunak is also facing his own investigation by parliament’s standards watchdog into his behaviour over whether he properly declared his wife’s shareholding in a childcare company that stands to benefit from the new government policy.