Dominic Raab faces independent inquiry into bullying claims

Rishi Sunak will appoint an independent investigator to examine claims of alleged bullying against Dominic Raab, after the deputy prime minister requested an inquiry into two formal complaints that have been made against him.

Raab, who said he will stay on as deputy PM and justice secretary while the process takes place, used a stand-in appearance at prime minister’s questions to insist he had always behaved properly towards staff, despite a growing list of accusations from officials, reported by the Guardian and others.

Sunak, who is returning from the G20 summit in Bali, will appoint someone specific for the inquiry, as No 10 has yet to replace Lord Christopher Geidt as independent adviser on ministerial standards, after he resigned in June.

In another development, Raab told MPs he had been subject to a separate complaint about him before entering parliament, with a settlement involving a confidentiality clause.

Asked by the Labour MP Bambos Charalambous if he had “ever entered into a non-disclosure agreement connected to a complaint against him”, Raab told the Commons: “He is referring to an employment dispute that was settled before I entered the house. It wasn’t an NDA, but it did involve a confidentiality clause, which was standard at the time.”

Raab gave no further details, and did not explain how a confidentiality clause is different to an NDA.

On Wednesday morning Raab tweeted a letter to Sunak saying he had “just been notified” of two separate complaints against him, relating to his time as foreign secretary, and his first period as justice secretary, both under Boris Johnson.

“I am confident that I have behaved professionally throughout,” Raab told PMQs subsequently. “But immediately I heard that two complaints had been made – I believe they were made yesterday. I was notified this morning. I asked the prime minister to set up an independent investigation, and of course I will comply with it fully.”

Sunak wrote back to Raab, saying an independent investigation was “the right course of action”. A Downing Street spokesperson said later that an independent outsider would look into the allegations, although it remains unclear if they will also examine any further complaints that might be made.

Sunak will not be obliged to accept any findings, the spokesperson added, because as prime minister he remains the “ultimate arbiter” of the ministerial code.

The inquiry follows a series of allegations, reported by the Guardian and other publications, that a civil servant and others found Raab’s manner could be demeaning and overly abrupt, and that felt at the time like bullying. Raab has repeatedly rejected any wrongdoing.

In the letter to Sunak, Raab said following news of the complaints, he was “writing to request that you commission an independent investigation into the claims as soon as possible”, adding: “I will cooperate fully and respect whatever outcome you decide.”

Raab said he would remain in his posts and had “always sought to set high standards”, adding: “I have never tolerated bullying.”

Sources told the Guardian that the Ministry of Justice complaint was made in spring this year but had been revived by the individuals in light of the recent allegations. Their letter of complaint about Raab’s alleged behaviour was understood to have been sent by a group of mid-ranking policy officials to the permanent secretary at the MoJ, Antonia Romeo.

Department insiders said she “acted on” this at the time, by speaking to Raab as well as putting in extra measures and support for the officials.

Raab replied: “I am here and happy to address any specific points she wishes to make. I will thoroughly rebut and refute any of the claims that have been made.”

On Tuesday, Civil Service World cited a series of unnamed officials as saying that staff felt Raab was “gaslighting” them after telling a recent all-staff meeting at the Ministry of Justice that he had a zero-tolerance attitude towards bullying.

The report said Raab would often interrupt civil servants during briefings and criticise them. One source said: “We just didn’t trust that he wasn’t going to cut you off after half a sentence and say, ‘I don’t want to hear that, I don’t want to listen to you,’ which I would never want any of my staff being subjected to.”

A spokesperson for Raab has denied this.

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Guardian