Deputy Prime Minister of Great Britain, Minister of Justice Dominic Raab resigned on April 21 following an investigation into complaints of aggressive treatment of subordinates. He wrote about this in a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
“I am announcing that I am resigning from your government following the publication of a report prepared as a result of an investigation by QC Adam Tolley. I myself called for an investigation and promised to resign if it revealed any evidence of tyrannical behavior on my part. I consider it important to keep my word, ”the BBC quotes the letter.
Sunak received Tolly’s count the day before, 20 April. It confirmed the investigation of eight complaints against Raab in episodes that occurred from July 2018 to September 2022. According to the former vice-premier, Tolly rejected six out of eight claims.
“I believe that the two unfavorable conclusions are erroneous and set a dangerous precedent for the conduct of good government. Ministers must be able to exercise direct oversight of senior officials over critical negotiations on behalf of the British people, otherwise the democratic and constitutional principle of ministerial responsibility will be lost,” Raab said.
He said he regretted any unintended stress or hurt that officials experienced as a result of his behavior, but assured that he was thus achieving high standards of government performance.
“By setting such a low threshold for aggression, this investigation has set a dangerous precedent. This will encourage false complaints against ministers and will have a chilling effect on those who are making changes on behalf of your government and ultimately the British people,” the 49-year-old official said.
Earlier, on January 26, The Guardian newspaper reported that at least 24 UK civil servants filed complaints against Raab because of his aggressive behavior. The complaints state that civil servants regularly experienced physical discomfort before meetings with the minister, cried because of his treatment of them, and in one case, Raab’s words allegedly caused suicidal thoughts in a subordinate.
Prior to this, on December 14, 2022, five other people complained about Raab in connection with his inappropriate behavior and harassment of other employees. The five new complaints are known to be from the period when Raab served as Minister of Justice (September 2021 to September 2022). The incidents are currently under investigation.
Prior to that, on November 25, it became known that in the UK there was a complaint against the Deputy Prime Minister for “bullying other employees.” The complaint was said to be related to Raab’s tenure as Minister for Brexit (Leaving the United Kingdom from the EU) from July to November 2018.
On November 21, The Guardian reported, citing sources, that Raab “behaved so badly” in a meeting with the Home Office during his first tenure as Justice Minister that a senior official in his department had to personally apologize to colleagues afterward.
