Pressure mounts on ‘rude and abrasive’ Dominic Raab as he ‘faces claims of routinely humiliating civil servants’
- Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab is under pressure over bullying claims
- Read more: Sunak’s popularity nosedives among Tory members over tax row
Pressure is mounting on Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab after he was formally criticised by a senior civil servant.
A senior civil servant has offered evidence to the official inquiry into the minister’s behaviour and another civil servant described him as ‘very rude and abrasive’.
Mr Raab is understood to be facing dozens of claims of routinely humiliating civil servants in the workplace.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing renewed questions about handing Mr Raab a senior government role after the bullying claims were made last March.
Mr Raab is understood to be facing dozens of claims of bullying and routinely humiliating civil servants in the workplace
The Prime Minister has restated his commitment to ‘integrity’ in government following the sacking of Nadhim Zahawi
A Number 10 spokesperson yesterday told The Times that when the Prime Minister reappointed Mr Raab to the Ministry of Justice he was not aware of any complaints.
Adam Tolley KC is leading an investigation into complaints over Mr Raab’s conduct.
Mr Raab served as foreign secretary, justice secretary and deputy Prime Minister under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
One civil servant claimed he was ‘very rude and abrasive, sometimes totally randomly’ and for ‘arbitrary’ reasons.
Mr Raab has repeatedly denied the bullying charges and promised to fully rebut the claims.
But it is understood that a senior civil servant has given evidence in the inquiry.
Nadhmi Zahawi was sacked by Number 10 on Sunday after an ethics report concluded that he had broken the ministerial code
Backing for the Prime Minister among Conservative grassroots has fallen by three quarters in the wake of Nadhim Zahawi’s tax revelations
In a separate poll by Ipsos Mori on Sunday, Mr Sunak slipped behind Labour leader Keir Starmer as the best choice of PM to lead the UK.
It comes after Mr Sunak sacked Tory party chairman Nadhim Zahawi on Sunday after revelations about his personal tax arrangements.
Mr Zahawi was fired after a report by the Prime Minister’s ethics adviser concluded that he had broken the ministerial code.
The Prime Minister is currently resisting calls to remove the Conservative Party whip from the now backbencher MP.
The Liberal Democrats wrote to Mr Sunak urging him to expel Mr Zahawi from the party.
Health Minister Helen Whately defended Mr Zahawi’s position as an MP on BBC Breakfast on Monday.
‘We’re all accountable to constituents. And it’s not that long again until there will be another general election in which voters will again make those decisions.’
Mr Sunak insisted to journalists on Sunday that he acted ‘pretty decisively’ since the tax revelations and has tried to recommit his party to ‘integrity’.
The Prime Minister’s popularity has plummeted among Tory members in the wake of the scandal.
Satisfaction with the PM in Conservative Home’s monthly Cabinet league table fell from 13.1 per cent to just 2.9 per cent.
A poll by Ipsos Mori on Sunday found that the number of people who believe that Keir Starmer would be the most capable PM had overtaken those who would choose Mr Sunak.
William Hague categorically ruled himself out as next Tory party Chairman on Monday but other senior conservatives are still in the running to replace Mr Zahawi.
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