He urged Sunak to “disclose” what he knows about Raab’s complaints about Dominic Raab

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Rishi Sunak has been urged to “come out” if he was aware of informal concerns about Dominic Raab’s conduct prior to his appointment, with the deputy prime minister still under investigation.

Eleven weeks after it began investigating complaints from some two dozen civil servants across three government departments, pressure is mounting on the prime minister to stop Raab and reveal what he knows when.

Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union, which represents many civil servants, criticized Sunak for refusing “point blank” to say whether informal concerns about Raab’s conduct had been raised – and if so, “what he did with that”.

After only ruling out No. 10 that Sunak was aware of any formal complaints, Penman said the prime minister should “tell”.

Given the scale of the allegations against Raab, which he denies, Penman said it would be normal in the workplace for such a person to be suspended until the outcome of the investigation is known.

“It suggests there is a real problem there and a real risk to the health and safety of existing staff,” he told Sky News. “In order for you to prove their innocence, you have to protect your existing workforce.”

Ultimately it is important for Sunak to make clear what he knows when, he said, given that he will have to decide what fate Raab must face if the independent investigation led by Adam Tooley KC upholds the bullying complaints.

Shadow Communities Secretary Lisa Nandy also criticized Sunak for not divulging what he knew before he appointed Raab. “This is a prime minister who does not act until forced to, is dragged to do so while kicking and screaming. He is too weak to control his party and once again the country is paying the price for this ongoing psychological drama.”

Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, suggested that Tully consider warnings that may have been made off the record about Raab’s past behaviour.

“The question marks now are not only about Dominic Raab but about the prime minister,” he said. “Did he appoint Dominic Raab knowing of these serious allegations?”

Number 10’s press secretary was asked repeatedly on Wednesday if Snack was aware of any informal concerns about Raab’s conduct when he appointed him justice secretary in October 2022. They stuck to the same statement, repeating: “The prime minister was not aware of any formal complaints at the time of Dominic’s appointment.” rap”.

The Observer previously revealed that a “serious expression of concern” was sent to the Cabinet Office by one of the departments where Raab worked in 2018, and other papers have reported that issues around his conduct have been discussed internally – including with Downing Street.

Raab says he acted professionally at all times, and on Wednesday said “no” when asked if he would resign over the allegations.

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The investigation is said to focus on whether Raab deliberately targeted staff or was oblivious to the impact of his behavior on them.

Raab’s allies pushed back and tried to defend him, with briefings that two officials have so far presented evidence in his defence.

As one minister told The Times: “Dom is securing support for civil servants because he is really checking work. He doesn’t just take what they tell him.

“You can’t get anything with him. This is a threat. Most of the ministers [they] Can be manipulated and pushed.

“He’s dealing with some of the most controversial legislation to come and this is the best way to fire a Secretary of State who will double down on the details.”

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