Claims Dominic Raab could bully people are plausible, the former Head of the Diplomatic Service said today.
Sir Simon McDonald warned the Deputy PM was a “tough boss” and “one of the most driven people I ever worked for”.
Asked by LBC’s Andrew Marr if those words were “euphemisms” he replied: “Maybe they are euphemisms.
“But I worked closely with him and I didn’t see everything that happened."
Asked if he thought “the characterisation of Dominic Raab as somebody who could bully and around whom bullying happened is a plausible one”, Sir Simon replied bluntly: “Yes”.
The carefully-worded intervention is explosive - as it comes from a former head of the Foreign Office, who worked with Mr Raab when he was Foreign Secretary in 2019.
It came hours after Rishi Sunak stood by Mr Raab, saying he didn’t “recognise the characterisation” of his deputy as a bully.
The PM told reporters on the way to the G20 in Bali: “I'm not aware of any formal complaints about him.”
But Downing Street refused to say if an “expression of concern” - a step before a complaint - was raised about Mr Raab.
A document outlining a ‘serious expression of concern’ was sent to the Cabinet Office by a Brexit department official, alleging ‘unprofessional, even bullying, conduct of the minister towards his private office’, according to The Observer.
Mr Raab has worked in the Brexit, Justice, Foreign and Housing departments among others.
His spokesperson has insisted he “consistently holds himself to the highest standards of professionalism and enjoys good working relationships with officials across Whitehall”.
But Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “It is anti-bullying week, but instead of holding the bullies to account this Prime Minister is cowering behind them.
“Rishi Sunak clearly knew about Dominic Raab’s reputation when he reappointed him to his Cabinet.
"The Prime Minister’s promised appointment of an ethics watchdog is now long overdue leaving his pledge to bring integrity to his Government lying in tatters.
“An independent investigation into Dominic Raab must urgently be launched."
Civil servants have complained about Mr Raab’s behaviour towards them with warnings he has created a “climate of fear” in his office.
The Mirror last week revealed the deputy PM has been nicknamed “The Incinerator” as he “burns through” staff so quickly.
Mr Raab is expected to stand in for Mr Sunak at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday - during Anti-Bullying Week.
Antonia Romeo, the top mandarin in the Ministry of Justice, gave Mr Raab a dressing down over his treatment of staff when he returned to the department last month.
It was revealed yesterday that 40% of officials working in Mr Raab’s office when he was Foreign Secretary had said they had experienced bullying in a workplace survey.
But Mr Sunak said: "My understanding is that these surveys are annual and relate to the overall work environment, not to individuals."
