UK: Dominic Raab Resigns as Deputy PM Over Bullying Probe

Facts

• Dominic Raab on Friday resigned as the UK's deputy prime minister and justice secretary, after a months-long independent investigation found he had bullied multiple government officials across three different departments.¹
• In a letter posted on Twitter, Raab — who had pledged to resign if investigators found any evidence of bullying — said the inquiry had "set a dangerous precedent" by "setting the threshold for bullying so low."²
• The inquiry, conducted by independent investigator Adam Tolley, followed up on eight formal complaints of bullying made against Raab while he was acting as justice secretary and foreign secretary under Boris Johnson, and as Brexit secretary under Theresa May.³
• The investigation found that Raab acted in an "intimidating" and "insulting" manner with "unreasonably and persistently aggressive conduct" on several occasions at meetings with policy officials.⁴
• Raab is PM Rishi Sunak's second cabinet minister to quit over bullying allegations in less than six months. Last November, cabinet office minister Gavin Williamson resigned following accusations he sent abusive messages to former chief whip Wendy Morton.⁵
• Meanwhile, Sunak is currently under investigation by a parliamentary watchdog over a potential failure to declare wife Akshata Murty's shares in a childcare firm set benefit from new government policies.⁶

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²CNN, ³BBC News, ⁴Guardian, ⁵Sky News, and ⁶ITN.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Guardian. This is a huge setback for Rishi Sunak, who had promised to put integrity, professionalism, and accountability at the heart of his administration. The fact that he knew Raab belittled and demeaned his staff before reappointing him shows he never intended to root out bullying from his cabinet — he is failing to deliver the ethics he promised.
• Right narrative, as provided by LBC. The motives of government officials who complained about Raab must be questioned, as even the investigators found that the now ex-deputy PM did not intend to upset, humiliate, or physically intimidate anyone. We might never get to know the whole truth due to shortcomings in the inquiry, including the systematic leaking of skewed and fabricated claims, which resulted in Raab being subject to trial by the media.
• Cynical narrative, as provided by Open Democracy. There is one inevitable conclusion to this whole saga — a real bully always bounces back. There is a hugely disproportionate power dynamic between politicians and government employees, and a plethora of examples of similar cases go unheard. Raab will inevitably return to the front bench, and ministers' bullying behavior towards civil servants will likely continue to be both a symptom and a cause of this sick government.

Predictions