Dominic Raab bullying investigation includes allegations from ‘at least 24’ officials

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The investigation into the bullying allegations made against Dominic Raab has expanded to include at least 24 complainants, it has been reported.

Last month, I revealed that the Deputy Prime Minister was facing allegations of intimidation from more officials than previously believed, with some complaints containing allegations from multiple officials.

The Guardian reported on Wednesday that the investigation into his conduct had grown significantly to include at least two dozen officials, and possibly as many as 30.

Insiders have expressed doubts about his ability to remain in his post given the scale and nature of the investigation and the seriousness of the allegations reported by the newspaper.

Number 10 confirmed in December that Mr Raab had been the subject of eight complaints over allegations of bullying, ranging from his current tenure as Justice Secretary to when he was Foreign Secretary and in the former Brexit department.

Mr Sunak, who has come under sustained pressure over his government appointments, personally read excerpts from the complainants’ statements before ordering the investigation.

Deputy Labor leader Angela Rayner said the number of allegations raises more questions about Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s judgement.

The cabinet he appointed is awash in sordid and scandalous, but the prime minister is too weak to do anything about it. There must be no whitewashing, and the Prime Minister himself must come clean about what he knew when he reappointed Dominic Raab, she said.

Mr Raab said he was confident he had acted professionally throughout his time in government.

He said last week: As I have always been clear, I conducted myself professionally throughout. I don’t think I did anything wrong.

So listen, of course, I always pay attention to how I behave. But really I think what people want to know is that ministers in their government are trying every way to please them and I don’t apologize for having high standards, for trying to get things done.

Mr Raab added that he was confident he had really tried to get things done and to get things done in a professional manner throughout his time in government.

He has repeatedly refused calls to step down and insisted that he himself call for the independent investigation rather than deal with it through what he said or anonymous leaks via the media.

However, the Deputy Prime Minister has faced calls from senior Conservative Party officials to resign from his cabinet post while the bullying complaints are investigated.

Jake Berry, the former chairman of the Conservative Party, said last month that keeping Mr Raab in place was a hard line for the government to maintain, adding: In the real world people will look at this and say this doesn’t seem right.

It comes after an internal Whitehall investigation found that a third of private ministerial staff in Mr Raabs’ department claimed they had been bullied or harassed by colleagues while in their current roles. at the Department of Justice over the past year.

Ten of the 33 people who worked most closely with the Justice Secretary said they had experienced bad behavior at work, four times more than the previous year and more than the 8% figure for the entire office public.

A civil servant who had worked with Mr Raab said he imposed arbitrary demands and was often randomly rude. They said his requests were often contradictory, including complaining that he had received too much reading material for one car ride on one occasion, then complaining that he had received too little the next.

Another staff member accused the Justice Secretary of throwing tomatoes from a Pret a Manger salad onto a table out of frustration on one occasion because he was unhappy with the way he was told .

A Department of Justice spokesperson said: There is zero tolerance for bullying in the public service. The Deputy Prime Minister leads a professional department, pushing forward major reforms, where civil servants are valued and the level of ambition is high.

An independent investigation is underway and it would be inappropriate to comment further on matters relating to it until it is complete.

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: The Adam Tolley KC investigation is ongoing so it would be inappropriate to comment further while this process unfolds.

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