UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is weighing a critical decision on the fate of his top deputy, taking longer than expected to respond to the conclusion of an independent investigation into bullying allegations against Dominic Raab.
(Bloomberg) — UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is weighing a critical decision on the fate of his top deputy, taking longer than expected to respond to the conclusion of an independent investigation into bullying allegations against Dominic Raab.
A day after receiving the findings of a five-month investigation by employment lawyer Adam Tolley into civil servants’ complaints Thursday, Sunak had rendered no verdict on Raab. The case against the deputy prime minister and justice minister wasn’t clear cut, according to a government official familiar with the report’s content.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper told Times Radio on Friday morning that it’s “reasonable that the prime minister would want to read the report in full himself and go through all of the detail before he reaches a conclusion.”
After reading the report, Raab hasn’t changed his position and maintains his innocence, a person familiar with his thinking said late Thursday. The deputy prime minister has previously said that he “has always acted with professionalism and integrity.” He said in February that if an allegation of bullying was upheld he would resign.
Raab, 49, has been the subject of multiple formal complaints about his allegedly abrasive treatment of civil servants, which led Sunak to commission an independent investigation in November. An announcement by Sunak is now expected to come Friday.
Sunak spokespeople said twice Thursday that the prime minister retained “full confidence” in Raab, suggesting he might yet survive. Raab himself maintains he has never shouted or cursed at officials, and that his behavior has not broken the ministerial code of conduct, according to the person familiar with his thinking.
If Sunak fires Raab — an early backer in last year’s Conservative Party leadership campaign — he would damage the political career of one of his closest allies. He would also alienate some Tories who have urged him not to bow to pressure from officials to dismiss his deputy.
If he stands by Raab, he’s likely to face accusations from opposition parties that his day-one promise to run a government based on the principles of “integrity and accountability” has fallen by the wayside.
Deputy Labour Party Leader Angela Rayner accused Sunak of dithering as he tries to “summon up the guts to sack his own deputy,” leaving the Tories “yet again mired in chaos.”
(Updates with comment from minister in third paragraph.)
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