This live blog is now closing. Thanks for following along. You can read our latest full report on Dominic Raab’s resignation here:
Raab's 'activist civil servants' claim is 'absurd' and inaccurate, says former civil service head
Bob Kerslake, the former head of the civil service, criticised Dominic Raab’s claims of being targeted by “activist civil servants” as “absurd” and inaccurate.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s PM programme, Lord Kerslake said: “I think it’s absurd, I think it’s completely inaccurate, and I think it’s just one more line of attack to avoid taking responsibility for his actions.”
Kerslake said he found Raab’s resignation letter to be “pretty graceless” and “in some instances malevolent”.
“He seems to lash out at everybody but doesn’t accept personal responsibility for any of his own behaviour, and I think the issue here he’s trying to turn it into – some kind of constitutional question of good government – simply doesn’t stand up,” he said.
“Every civil servant would accept that ministers have a right to directly oversee negotiations or even to critique advice. What isn’t acceptable is the way he did it,” Kerslake said, adding that the Tolley report was “pretty damning”.
“I don’t know how much clearer [the report] could be about this being about Dominic Raab’s behaviour and not constitutional government,” he said.
Updated
Ministers now 'very concerned' about facing bullying allegations, says Raab
Dominic Raab said ministers shared concerns about potentially being accused of bullying following the complaints that culminated in his resignation.
“There’ll be a chilling effect, a paralysing effect on ministers,” Raab told GB News. “My phone is lit up now by ministers now very concerned that they could be accused of these things, the behavior that, in most walks of life, would be regarded as important managerial scrutiny.”
Raab alleges 'some coordination' between civil servants in bullying complaints
Dominic Raab told GB News there was “some coordination” among civil servants in the bullying complaints made against him.
In response to a question about whether civil servants “coordinated a campaign” to “remove” him, Raab said: “Well, there was certainly some coordination. One of the complaints was struck out because they’d written it together.”
Raab went on to state that the claims, while varying in dates, were all submitted on 15 November, with a few coming “just a little bit later”.
“That can’t be coincidental. But I only know what I know,” Raab said. “And I also know that I was warned by a very senior member of the government, a senior civil servant, that there are increasingly activist civil servants mobilised by the FDA union who are looking to target ministers.”
He added: “But all I know is that I think the bar has been so lowered now that the government we’ve got – and I’m a huge fan and supporter of the prime minister – is going to struggle to drive forward the changes we need.”
Updated
Raab claims 'tyranny of subjective hurt feelings' could 'hold back' senior ministers' work
In his interview with GB News, Dominic Raab spoke of a “tyranny of subjective hurt feelings” that puts senior ministers at risk as they attempt to deliver change to the British public.
The comments came in response to the GB News political reporter Olivia Utley asking Raab whether the bullying allegations were “purely political” or if people felt “genuinely threatened” by him.
“Adam Tolley KC, a very experienced barrister who conducted this investigation, found I’ve never lost my temper, never, over four and a half years, shouted or swore at anyone, but that some people found my direct style of probing, of interrogating, of scrutiny, unsettling or discomforting or even offensive,” he said.
Raab continued:
And I think there’s a certain tyranny of subjective hurt feelings here, which if you actually apply that across the board, means that senior ministers are at risk as they try and drive forward the change that the British public expect, try and protect taxpayers’ money, try and deliver for the British people. It can actually hold things back.
I think if you look at that across the board, and particularly if you compare it to other walks of life, stressful jobs, high-powered businesses, but other walks of life more generally, I think people would be pretty surprised.
The risk, of course, is that it leads government ministers and politicians to look and feel to the public even more detached from reality.
Updated
Raab says he is 'confident' he 'didn’t behave in a bullying way'
Dominic Raab denies having behaved in a “bullying way”, according to his latest interview with GB News.
“Look, I’m very confident that I didn’t behave in a bullying way,” Raab said. “Most of these allegations were dismissed out of hand.”
Raab told GB News:
Being able to pull very senior civil servants up, not junior members of staff, and saying: ‘Look, I don’t have the basic information to decide this,’ that was one of the things on which I was found to have been bullying, because I defended someone.
Or because I said in relation to human rights reform, to get more foreign national offenders removed from this country, to strengthen free speech, I said I thought the department was being obstructive.
If these kinds of things amount to bullying, then I think it puts a handbrake, a paralysing effect, on ministers delivering for the British people, and that can’t be right.
Updated
The Guardian’s latest editorial examines Dominic Raab’s departure. In the Guardian’s view, Raab’s resignation “heralds the changing of the guard in the Tory party”.
Here is an excerpt:
Despite being found to have acted in an “intimidating”, “insulting” and “aggressive” way with officials, Mr Raab suggested he was the real victim of a “Kafkaesque saga” in which he had faced an inquisition.
His ungracious resignation letter, written in an apparent fit of pique, played into Brexiters’ permanent sense that their Gulliver was being tied down by Lilliputians in the civil service.
Read more of the Guardian’s take on Raab’s resignation.
Updated
Alex Chalk tweeted he is “honoured” to return to the Ministry of Justice following his appointment as justice secretary.
Honoured to return to @MoJGovUK as Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary: a hugely important brief that upholds the values of our great country – the rule of law, justice for victims and the right to a fair trial pic.twitter.com/lh3lMFx7E1
— Alex Chalk KC MP (@AlexChalkChelt) April 21, 2023
Replacing Dominic Raab in the role indeed signals a justice ministry comeback for Chalk, as he previously held the junior position of parliamentary under-secretary of state for justice from February 2020 to September 2021.
Updated
Tensions have spiked between the civil service and politicians following Dominic Raab’s claims of being targeted by “unionised officials” in light of the bullying claims that led to his resignation.
The Guardian’s Rowena Mason wrote about it here.
Some former civil servants who worked with Dominic Raab have hit back at the latter’s claims during his BBC interview earlier today, BBC Newsnight reports.
“Raab has often publicly praised the work of his civil servants, so this seems to be at odds with his previous statements and at odds with public statements made by many ministers across a wide range of departments,” one former civil servant said.
Another said that “most civil servants do their jobs because they want to deliver for the public”.
“They do this through a long-standing and normally very effective relationship with the democratically elected ministers,” they said. “I think you’d struggle to find a similar example of the dysfunction we’ve heard about in the report, so it’s perhaps fair to draw the conclusion that there is one common thread to this unique situation - and that’s Raab.”
Updated
According to the Express, senior Conservative MPs are unhappy with Rishi Sunak’s handling of the Dominic Raab scandal, perceiving the PM as having failed to support his friend and ally.
The Express quoted an MP as saying: “Dominic was told that the prime minister would not stand by him if he tried to stay on, so he had to resign.”
A former senior minister criticised Downing Street’s “move on” strategy.
“If a minister is going to attract negative publicity it is better for him to go and move on,” the former minister said. “Everything is geared to the prime minister attracting as little negative publicity as possible and not being tied to any problems.”
The senior MP added: “In the end, this is going to come back to bite him, whether it is the consequences of bad policies on things like Northern Ireland, or the betrayed colleagues on the backbenches.”
The term “Rishi ‘no fingerprints’ Sunak” has reportedly circulated among MPs this morning.
Updated
Here is Sam Freedman from Prospect responding to Dominic Raab’s argument that ministers can only govern effectively if they are allowed to be robust with civil servants.
Am going to do a substantive post on Raab and bullying for tomorrow but the idea that his behaviour was necessary to drive performance can be refuted by the absence of a single substantive achievement in 7 years as a minister and 5 in cabinet.
— Sam Freedman (@Samfr) April 21, 2023
He was a failure as Brexit Secretary; oversaw the Afghanistan disaster at the Foreign Office; and put forward a garbage human rights Bill that has gone nowhere as Justice Secretary while the court system has crumbled. No high performance culture discernable.
— Sam Freedman (@Samfr) April 21, 2023
That is all from me for tonight. My colleague Danya Hajjaji is now taking over.
Updated
In his BBC interview Dominic Raab also refused to commit to standing again as the Conservative candidate in Esher and Walton. He said he wanted to “let the dust settle” before deciding his future.
The fact that Raab did not say yes to standing again in his seat (where the interview was recorded) implies he is either thinking of finding another seat (the Lib Dems are very hopeful of winning Esher and Walton, where they were just 2,743 votes behind at the last election), or thinking of leaving the Commons altogether.
Updated
Raab claims public will 'pay the price' as result of Whitehall anti-bullying rules for ministers being too strict
Chris Mason opened his interview by asking Dominic Raab if he thought he had been stitched up.
Raab still isn’t putting it quite like that (see 4.43pm), but in his reply he went slightly further than he has before (see 9.57am) in saying Whitehall anti-bullying rules for ministers are too strict. He said the public would “pay the price” because ministers would not be able to govern effectively. Raab told Mason:
Look, I wouldn’t describe it that way. I resigned from cabinet today because I said I would if there was any adverse findings from this inquiry. I’m true to my word – politicians should be – but I do think it sets a very dangerous precedent.
If you look at the Tolley report, it dismissed almost all of the claims against me. It found I’d never once in four and a half years lost my temper, swore and shouted, and things of that nature.
But it also highlighted maybe two or three instances where I’ve been what they described as unintentionally abrasive – whether it was speaking very directly to a senior civil servant who breached the mandate in a very important negotiation, or the language I used was ‘getting basic information’ for a budgetary meeting with hundreds of millions of pounds.
If the bar, the threshold for bullying is low and that low, it’s almost impossible for ministers to deliver for the British people. And I think it will have a chilling effect on effective government, and the British people [will] pay the price.
Updated
Raab claims 'very small minority' of civil servants trying to obstruct government
Dominic Raab has recorded an interview with Chris Mason, the BBC’s political editor. The BBC are about to broadcast it now.
According to a transcript just released, Raab claims a minority of civil servants are trying to obstruct the government. He says:
What you’ve got [is] the risk here [from] a very small minority of very activist civil servants, with a passive aggressive culture … who don’t like some of the reforms, whether it’s Brexit, whether it’s parole reform, whether it’s human rights reform. [They’re] effectively trying to block government …
There’s a little bit of cultural – if you like – aversion. If, actually, they can block reforms or changes through a rather passive aggressive approach, we can’t deliver for the British people.
Updated
In a story for the Telegraph Gordon Rayner says that Rishi Sunak is sympathetic to Dominic Raab’s argument that the threshold for what counts as bullying in Whitehall is now too low (see 10.41am) and that the rules could be changed. Rayner says:
Senior government sources have told The Telegraph that both Mr Sunak and Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, have sympathy with Mr Raab’s stance, and believe that civil servants should be “resilient”.
One source suggested Mr Sunak “might change the rules in future” because he agrees with Mr Raab that the bar for the definition of bullying is “too low”.
Raab thinks unintentional bullying should not count as bullying for the purposes of the ministerial code. See 4.16pm.
Updated
Here is John Crace’s take on Dominic Raab’s departure.
The former Ukip and Brexit party leader, Nigel Farage, has sided with the argument that Dominic Raab was the victim of a civil service stitch-up. Raab isn’t quite putting it as bluntly as that, but that seems to be what he thinks. (See 12.43pm.)
Who governs Britain? Looks like the civil service to me. https://t.co/syQW4On01x
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) April 21, 2023
Updated
Alex Chalk will be the 11th justice secretary in 13 years, Steve Reed, his Labour shadow, points out.
Congratulations to @AlexChalkChelt on his appointment as the 11th Conservative Justice Secretary in 13 chaotic years that have destroyed the justice system. Real change can only come with a Labour Government
— Steve Reed (@SteveReedMP) April 21, 2023
This is from Oliver Dowden on his appointment as deputy prime minister.
Deeply honoured to have been asked to serve as Deputy Prime Minister. I look forward to working even more closely with the Prime Minister as we tackle the issues that matter most to the people of this country 🇬🇧 https://t.co/kjH74b99jo
— Oliver Dowden (@OliverDowden) April 21, 2023
One of the complaints Dominic Raab made in his Telegraph article about how the allegations about him were investigated was that Adam Tolley assumed bullying did not have to be intentional. That was wrong, Raab claimed. “[Tolley] did not conclude it was intentional – which is the legal requirement under the definition of bullying,” Raab wrote.
Raab made the same argument in a submission to Tolley, and in his report Tolley says Raab is wrong on this point. He says the high court considered what constituted bullying under the ministerial code in a case in 2021 and the high court took the view that “conduct can amount to bullying even though the perpetrator is not aware of and does not intend its adverse effect”.
Tolley said intent was relevant to the seriousness of bullying, not whether conduct counted as bullying in the first place.
Newsnight’s Sima Kotecha has posted on Twitter two damning responses to Dominic Raab’s resignation letter (see 9.57am) from unnamed civil servants who worked with him.
Damning response to resignation letter from former senior civil servant who worked closely with Dominic Raab #Newsnight pic.twitter.com/7JbNXUEZlr
— Sima Kotecha (@sima_kotecha) April 21, 2023
More reaction to Dominic Raab’s letter from another former civil servant who also worked closely with him #Newsnight pic.twitter.com/3dnB5Las6Y
— Sima Kotecha (@sima_kotecha) April 21, 2023
Here is a Guardian video explaining how the allegations against Dominic Raab emerged.
The Howard League for Penal Reform has given a cautious welcome to Alex Chalk’s appointment as the new justice secretary. Andrea Coomber, its chief executive, said:
The Howard League welcomes the appointment of Alex Chalk KC to the position of lord chancellor and secretary of state for justice. As a former minister for prisons and probation, formerly a long-serving member of the justice select committee, and originally a criminal barrister, the new secretary of state understands the challenges better than most.
A fresh face at the top of the Ministry of Justice should also mean a fresh look at some of the thorniest issues in criminal justice. A prison population set to balloon by as much as a quarter over the coming five years, and a staffing crisis behind bars even before this expansion takes place. The government must do something to reduce pressure on the system and allow prisons to be something other than human warehouses.
Updated
Streeting says it will take Labour 10 years to restore NHS to state it was in when Tories took power
Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, chose the wrong day to give his health speech if he was hoping for much coverage. According to PA Media, in his speech Streeting said Labour would deliver the NHS care that patients want. PA says:
In a speech to the King’s Fund in central London, Wes Streeting reiterated Labour’s pledges on the NHS, saying the party would train 7,500 more doctors and 10,000 more nurses every year, including recruiting more medics from within the UK.
Streeting said he would boost the range of health professionals working alongside GPs to ease pressure on primary care, including more use of pharmacists to give things such as vaccinations, wider use of nurses within practices and, for example, allowing opticians to refer people directly to eye specialists.
He said patients often felt that there is “rationing going on and that the objective of the person on the other end of the phone in the [GP] reception”, and in other parts of the NHS, was to do what they could to ensure the patient could not be seen.
He said he did not think that was quite right, but that was how it felt to patients.
In the Q&A, Streeting also said he thought it would take Labour a decade to return the NHS to the state it was in when Labour left office. He said:
This far out from a general election, we want to make sure that we’ve got a plan that is both ambitious but also achievable. We’re not going to make promises we can’t keep.
But I want to see serious progress by the end of the first term of a Labour government because I want people to elect a second term of a Labour government and I do think that the public is smart enough to know that we’re not going to be able to fix everything overnight.
It will take, I think, a decade to get the NHS back to where it was under the last Labour government.
But we want to show real progress within the first term of a Labour government and we’re looking at what we could do as quickly as possible to deliver immediate results for patients.
Updated
The Labour MP Graham Stringer has told GB News that he is disturbed by what happened to Dominic Raab because he feels Raab was effectively sacked by civil servants, Tom Harwood from GB News reports.
Labour MP Graham Stringer with a stinging rebuke on civil service on @GBNews:
— Tom Harwood (@tomhfh) April 21, 2023
"I find effectively civil servants sacking a minister, which is what has happened, quietly disturbing because one of the great myths in our political life is that we have a non political civil service"
Earlier this week my colleague Jessica Elgot wrote an excellent article arguing that Rishi Sunak should be seen as the most socially conservative PM of the last decade. The appointment of Oliver Dowden as deputy prime minister helps to confirm Jess’s theory.
Sunak and Dowden have been friends and allies for a long time. Along with Robert Jenrick, they staged a moderately significant intervention in the 2019 Tory leadership contest when the three of them wrote a joint article for the Times backing Boris Johnson as Tory leader. At the time much of Johnson’s support was coming from fringe Brexiter ultras (think Nadine Dorries), and an endorsement from mainstream moderates seen as rising stars helped to widen his appeal.
Dowden worked as David Cameron’s deputy chief of staff when Cameron was PM. But when he became culture secretary under Johnson, he shed any illusions that he was a Cameroon moderniser by focusing on the “culture” aspect of his job and waging a relentless campaign against all things woke. Jim Waterson wrote about that here.
Sunak announces full details of post-Raab reshuffle
Three ministers have been promoted as a result of the reshuffle announced as a result of Dominic Raab’s departure, and three MPs are joining the government.
The promotion are:
Oliver Dowden becomes deputy prime minister, which he will combine with his current job, as a Cabinet Office minister and chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster.
Alex Chalk moves from being a defence minister to justice secretary.
And James Cartlidge moves from being a junior Treasury minister to replacing Chalk as a minister of state at the Ministry of Defence.
One MP is joining the government for the first time: Gareth Davies will replace Cartlidge as exchequer secretary to the Treasury.
And two former cabinet ministers are coming back to provide maternity cover. Chloe Smith, a former work and pensions secretary, will cover for Michelle Donelan as science and innovation secretary. And John Whittingdale, a former culture secretary, will cover for Julia Lopez, a culture minister.
Updated
Chloe Smith returns to cabinet as acting science secretary, covering for Michelle Donelan's maternity leave
Here is the full list of appointments from No 10.
Chloe Smith, who was briefly work and pensions secretary under Liz Truss, has been recalled to cabinet to cover for Michelle Donelan as science and innovation secretary while Donelan is on maternity leave.
Updated
Oliver Dowden appointed deputy prime minister
Oliver Dowden has been appointed deputy prime minister, Downing Street has announced.
Updated
Turning away from the Dominic Raab story for a moment, Julian Knight has said he will stand down at the next election. Knight was elected as a Conservative MP, but he has been suspended by his party and he feels angry about his treatment by the party whips. He has explained his decision in a Twitter feed starting here.
1/ Personal Statement by Julian Knight MP
— Julian Knight MP (@julianknight15) April 21, 2023
I will not be standing for the Conservatives or any other party at the next general election. The past year has been for my wife and I the worst of our lives. The false and malicious accusation brought against me last December did untold
Updated
The Conservative MP Philip Davies has said he shares Dominic Raab’s concern that this inquiry sets a precedent that could lead to other ministers being forced out of office. Speaking on GB News, where he is a presenter, Davies said:
I just wonder how much this will be seen as a watershed moment in terms of how ministers can actually govern, how ministers treat civil servants and whether or not Dominic Raab is right in what he says in that the threshold for bullying has been set so low.
I wonder whether or not this could lead to a spate of other complaints going in about other ministers, because I suspect that if the threshold has been set so low there will be other examples out there as well.
Alex Chalk appointed justice secretary
Alex Chalk will be the new justice secretary, my colleague Pippa Crerar reports. Chalk is currently a defence minister, but has previously been solicitor general and a justice minister
NEW: Alex Chalk to be new Justice Secretary
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) April 21, 2023
Updated
Danny Shaw, the BBC’s former home affairs correspondent, has posted a thread on Twitter with an assessment of Dominic Raab’s record as justice secretary. It starts here.
Legacy of @DominicRaab
— Danny Shaw (@DannyShawNews) April 21, 2023
1 Record court backlogs made worse by a barristers’ strike he was partly responsible for through his obstinate refusal to engage. How ironic that it was settled in the short period when @BrandonLewis was in the job
No 10 suggests Sunak does think Raab broke ministerial code
The Downing Street lobby briefing has just finished. Rishi Sunak has not said explicitly that Dominic Raab was guilty of bullying, or that he broke the ministerial code, and at the briefing the PM’s spokesperson avoided putting it that bluntly. But he made it clear that that is what Sunak thinks.
Here are some of the main points from the briefing.
Sunak thinks Raab broke the ministerial code, the PM’s spokesperson suggested. The spokesperson said:
You can see the aspects relevant to the code are set out in the report. I think those speak for themselves.
The prime minister thinks it’s right that any findings whatsoever that are deemed to be bullying, it’s right to resign. That’s the commitment the former secretary of state made and he’s upheld that commitment.
The ministerial code says: “Harassing, bullying or other inappropriate or discriminating behaviour wherever it takes place is not consistent with the ministerial code and will not be tolerated.”
Sunak spoke to Raab this morning by phone, the spokesperson said. He did not go into details of the call. Yesterday, after getting the report, Sunak spoke to Adam Tolley, its author, and Sir Laurie Magnus, his ethics adviser. Sunak had not seen a draft of the report before the final version arrived yesterday.
Sunak will not be setting up a general inquiry into ministerial bullying, as proposed by the FDA union (see 10.54am), the spokesperson said. He also said he was not aware of any plans to have an inquiry into leaks that happened as the investigation was taking place, as Raab called for in his resignation letter (see 9.57am).
The spokesperson said that when Sunak said, in his letter to Raab, that he wanted the government to learn from this “how to better handle such matters in future”, the PM meant that he wanted to ensure there was a better process for ensuring that concerns about how ministers deal with staff are addressed in a timely manner.
MoJ staff who complained about Raab 'sincere and committed' officials, 'with no ulterior agenda', says Tolley
In his Telegraph article Dominic Raab seemed to question the motives of some of the officials who complained about him. (See 12.43pm.)
But in his report Adam Tolley said the Ministry of Justice officials who submitted a joint complaint about Raab were “sincere and committed civil servants” who had “no ulterior agenda”. He said:
The significance of the MoJ group complaint is that it led to the making of all of the other complaints. The participants in the MoJ group complaint deserve credit for their courage in coming forward. It cannot have been easy for them to do so and their motivation was to stand up for more senior colleagues whose experiences they had observed at one remove. Having interviewed almost all of the individuals closely involved, I find that they are sincere and committed civil servants, with no ulterior agenda.
Updated
Raab suggests he was victim of plot by 'unionised officials' to remove him from office
In his Telegraph article Dominic Raab suggests he was the victim of a plot to remove him from office. He is more explicit than in his resignation letter, where he only hinted at this. (See 10.41am.)
He says the complaints against him were “stored up”, and then submitted “in a coordinated way”.
He says he was “subject to trial by media for six months, fuelled by warped and fabricated accounts leaked by anonymous officials breaching the rules of the inquiry, the civil service code of conduct, or both”.
He says he was warned by a cabinet secretary, and by a director of propriety and ethics in the Cabinet Office “that unionised officials were targeting me and other ministers”.
And he says many of the complaints against him were not substantiated by Adam Tolley, and that in relation to three of the complainants, “there was no record of them ever having been in any meeting with me”.
In his article Raab concludes:
This precedent sets the playbook for a small number of officials to target ministers, who negotiate robustly on behalf of the country, pursue bold reforms and persevere in holding civil servants to account. If that is now the threshold for bullying in government, it is the people of this country who will pay the price.
Updated
What Tolley says about Raab's 'intimidating' conduct at MoJ, and how Raab responds
In his report Adam Tolley is also particularly critical of how Dominic Raab dealt with staff at the Ministry of Justice. Tolley says:
On a number of occasions at meetings with policy officials, the DPM acted in a manner which was intimidating, in the sense of going further than was necessary or appropriate in delivering critical feedback, and also insulting, in the sense of making unconstructive critical comments about the quality of work done (whether or not as a matter of substance any criticism was justified). By way of example, he complained about the absence of what he referred to as ‘basic information’ or ‘the basics’, about ‘obstructiveness’ on the part of officials whom he perceived to be resistant to his policies, and described some work as ‘utterly useless’ and ‘woeful’.
The DPM did not intend by the conduct described to upset or humiliate. Nor did he target anyone for a specific type of treatment.
His interruptive style is not itself behaviour that could be regarded as intimidating or insulting. However, individuals who had previously experienced the DPM express an unconstructive criticism of their work (and understood it as a criticism of them personally) might reasonably have interpreted a series of interruptions as a form of implicit criticism. The combination of unconstructive critical feedback and regular interruption is likely to be experienced as intimidating, in the sense of being unreasonably difficult to deal with, and plainly was so experienced by some individuals.
And this is Raab’s response to this criticism, in his Telegraph article.
The second adverse finding was at the MoJ. The inquiry gave three instances since September 2021, where my feedback to senior civil servants was overly critical, which – however justified – left those concerned feeling insulted. In one example, Mr Tolley concluded I had on occasion said that work lacked ‘basic information’ – no specific dates were given, nor who was offended. In one meeting, he found I had said the department was being ‘obstructive’ on human rights reform, offending one complainant. In the third instance, he concluded – which I deny – that I had said a submission on parole reform was ‘utterly useless’ and ‘woeful’, offending one complainant.
He accepted that I had not personalised my criticism, nor intended to upset anyone, and was unaware of the offence caused. That was never my intention, and I am genuinely sorry if my actions had that effect on anyone. The inquiry concluded that I had not been notified of any particular conduct, before formal complaints were submitted, nor had anyone suggested my behaviour could amount to bullying.
Updated
This is what Dominic Raab says, in his Telegraph article, about the occasion referred to in the Tolley report (see 12pm) about how a “management choice” involved bullying behaviour. Raab says:
As foreign secretary, I made changes to the personnel conducting the Brexit negotiations on Gibraltar with Spain, having found out a senior negotiator had gone beyond the democratic mandate set by cabinet, putting UK sovereignty at risk. The change involved no demotion or longer-term detriment. It was essential to securing a deal with Spain at 1am on New Year’s Eve 2020 – a week after the main UK-EU free trade deal was done – and perilously close to a “no deal” for Gibraltar. Nevertheless, Mr Tolley concluded that I had abused my position in relation to that official, having expressed my frustration at the lack of candour I received. He did not conclude it was intentional – which is the legal requirement under the definition of bullying. No one at the time raised my conduct from the meeting, and no complaint was made until two and a half years later.
Updated
What Tolley report says about how Raab was 'unreasonably and persistently aggressive' in meeting
The most damning comments in the Tolley report seem to be those on page 45, where Adam Tolley refers to two complaints about Dominic Raab when he was foreign secretary. Tolley says:
In reaching and implementing [a] management choice [the report does not say what this ‘management choice’ was] he acted in a way which was intimidating, in the sense of unreasonably and persistently aggressive conduct in the context of a work meeting. It also involved an abuse or misuse of power in a way that undermines or humiliates. He introduced an unwarranted punitive element. His conduct was experienced as undermining or humiliating by the affected individual, which was inevitable. It is to be inferred that the DPM was aware that this would be the effect of his conduct; at the very least, he should have been aware.
On a separate occasion, the DPM referred to the civil service code in a way which could reasonably have been understood as suggesting that those involved had acted in breach. This had a significant adverse effect on a particular individual who took it seriously. The DPM’s conduct was a form of intimidating behaviour, in the sense of conveying a threat of unspecified disciplinary action, and was experienced as such. He did not target any individual, nor intend to threaten anyone with disciplinary action. However, he ought to have realised that his reference to the civil service code could well have been understood as a threat.
Updated
No 10 publishes Adam Tolley report into Raab bullying claims
Downing Street has just published the Adam Tolley report into the Dominic Raab bullying allegations. It’s here.
Investigation into Raab found he acted in 'intimidating' fashion with 'unreasonably and persistently aggressive conduct'
Adam Tolley KC’s investigation into Dominic Raab found he acted in an “intimidating” fashion with “unreasonably and persistently aggressive conduct” in a work meeting while he was foreign secretary, PA Media reports.
Updated
Sunak tells Raab in reply to resignation letter he was right to quit
Downing Street has now released the text of Rishi Sunak’s reply to Dominic Raab’s resignation letter. Sunak says Raab was right to quit.
Here is an extract.
When formal complaints about your conduct in different ministerial posts were submitted last year, I appointed at your request an independent investigator to conduct a full investigation into the specific facts surrounding these complaints. Adam Tolley KC has now submitted his report and I have carefully considered its findings, as well as consulting the independent adviser on ministers’ interests.
As you say, you had – rightly – undertaken to resign if the report made any finding of bullying whatsoever. You have kept your word. But it is clear that there have been shortcomings in the historic process that have negatively affected everyone involved. We should learn from this how to better handle such matters in future.
But your resignation should not make us forget your record of delivery in both this government and previous administrations. These achievements should make you extremely proud.
Updated
Raab claims inquiry process that led to his departure was 'Kafkaesque'
Dominic Raab has escalated his attack on how the inquiry into his conduct was conducted. In an article for the Daily Telegraph, which has just been published on its website, he says the process was “Kafkaesque”.
Here is an extract.
In reality, the Kafkaesque saga I endured was shorn of the safeguards most people enjoy.
Normal rules of evidence and procedural fairness were disapplied. For example, there is a three-month time limit for bringing bullying claims in an employment tribunal, while standard internal human resources practice is to avoid unreasonable delay, because late claims are unfair and unreliable. In my case, all the complaints were stored up for over three months, most over eight months, some for over four years – and then submitted in a coordinated way.
Updated
Rishi Sunak did not tell Dominic Raab to resign, the Spectator’s Isabel Hardman reports. She says Tory MPs can’t decide if this is a good thing or a bad thing.
Sunak didn’t tell Raab to resign, I understand from No10 sources. Some Tory MPs I’ve spoken to this morning say this makes it an honourable resignation - others wondering if it makes the PM just a commentator at the side of his own govt.
— Isabel Hardman (@IsabelHardman) April 21, 2023
Starmer accuses Raab of 'whining', and claims Sunak's failure to sack him sign of weakness
If Dominic Raab had remained in office, Labour would have said Rishi Sunak’s failure to sack him was a sign of weakness. Raab has quit, but Labour is accusing Sunak of weakness anyway – on the grounds that Raab should not have been given the job in the first place.
On a visit to Middlesbrough, Keir Starmer said:
What I think this shows is the continual weakness of the prime minister.
Because there’s a double weakness here. He should never have appointed him in the first place, along with other members of the cabinet that shouldn’t have been appointed, and then he didn’t sack him.
Even today, it’s Raab who resigned rather than the prime minister who acts.
Starmer also accused Raab of “whining”. He said:
I don’t know why Dominic Raab, in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, thinks that anybody wants to hear about his whining about having to resign.
What I think everybody wants is strong leadership and that has been palpably absent here.
Updated
FDA civil servants' union calls for Raab inquiry to be followed by general investigation into ministerial bullying
The FDA, the union representing senior civil servants, has called for a general inquiry into the bullying of officials by ministers. In a statement Dave Penman, the FDA’s general secretary, said:
As Dominic Raab’s resignation letter makes clear, he was guilty of bullying civil servants and, therefore, had breached the ministerial code. His obviously reluctant tone and dismissal of the complaints says more about his conduct than any findings will. This resignation is not a vindication of the current system, it’s a damning indictment of the inadequacy of a process that relies solely on the prime minister of the day to enforce standards …
Bullying blights people’s lives and careers. It also gets in the way of government working effectively and efficiently. This investigation must be the seminal moment when the prime minister recognises that he has a duty to protect civil servants from the misconduct of ministers, and that the current system is neither fit for purpose nor commands the confidence of the very people it is supposed to protect. A recent FDA survey showed that 70% of senior civil servants had no confidence in the system for dealing with complaints.
Given the scale of complaints against Dominic Raab and the evidence we have produced of a wider problem, the prime minister must now launch an independent inquiry into ministerial bullying, along the lines of the inquiry conducted by Dame Laura Cox KC commissioned under similar circumstances in parliament.
Updated
Seven things we've learned from Raab's resignation letter
There is quite a contrast between the overnight briefing on behalf of Dominic Raab (see 9.06am and 9.24am). That could be explained by his allies talking complete rubbish to journalists. But a much more likely explanation is that last night Raab thought he could stay in office, but that by this morning – presumably after direct, or indirect, contact with Rishi Sunak – he realised that if he did not resign, he was going to sacked.
This is not so much a resignation letter as a “resignation” letter. It reads as if it was written by someone pushed out.
Here are seven things we’ve learned from it.
1) Raab claims that his departure sets a “dangerous precedent for the conduct of good government” because it will make it too easy for ministers to be removed. This echoes what MPs like Jacob Rees-Mogg have said about civil servants being too “snowflakey”. Raab does not explicitly say that he was the victim of a politically motivated witchhunt, but these comments – and his complaint about a diplomat ignoring the wishes of cabinet – suggest that he does see himself in this light. He is implicitly casting himself as a victim.
2) He reveals that two of the complaints against him were upheld. But he says the inquiry has dismissed “all but two” of the complaints against him. Without having seen the full report, it is hard to know what the significance of this.
3) He reveals that the inquiry did not conclude that Raab intentionally bullied his staff. Summarsing its findings, he says:
Mr Tolley concluded that I had not once, in four and a half years, sworn or shouted at anyone, let alone thrown anything or otherwise physically intimidated anyone, nor intentionally sought to belittle anyone.
But in the past the No 10 ethics adviser has taken the view that bullying does not have to be intentional to be in breach of the ministerial code. This is what the Priti Patel inquiry concluded. Boris Johnson essentially ignored that report, and allowed Patel to remain in office as home secretary. Today’s outcome suggests Sunak was not willing to follow that precedent
4) But Raab claims this definition of bullying means that is now too easy for a minister to be forced out. He says:
In setting the threshold for bullying so low, this inquiry has set a dangerous precedent. It will encourage spurious complaints against Ministers, and have a chilling effect on those driving changen on behalf of your government – and ultimately the British people.
You could dismiss this as Raab arguing that the rules are now unfair to bullies.
5) He is not apologetic. The letter includes a line saying:
I am genuinely sorry for any unintended stress or offence that any officials felt, as a result of the pace, standards and challenge that I brought to the Ministry of Justice.
This does not go beyond what he has already said. Reading the full report has not made him feel any more contrite. (If anything, the opposite – there is a tone of resentment and anger running through the whole letter.)
6) Raab thinks the inquiry process was unfair, because of the extent of leaking against him.
7) He says he is resigning because he promised to resign if the inquiry “made any finding of bullying whatsoever”. This can be read a testament to the journalists who pressed Raab on this point in interviews while the inquiry was going on. (Sky’s Sophy Ridge was one, but others asked about this too.) Ministers normally dodge questions like this, saying they are hypothetical, but Raab was pushing into making a firm commitment, and that seems to have been a factor in his resignation.
Updated
Dominic Raab’s resignation letter has been dismissed as a “non-apology” by Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the TUC.
‘Sorry, not sorry’. As classy a resignation statement as we might have expected. Beyond the non-apology, spare a thought for the civil servants who’ve had to put up with Dominic Raab’s unique brand of ‘direct oversight’ for so long. pic.twitter.com/zojhMQfrIv
— Paul Nowak (@nowak_paul) April 21, 2023
Updated
Lib Dems says Raab should resign as MP
The Liberal Democrats say Dominic Raab should now resign as an MP. This is from Daisy Cooper, the party’s deputy leader.
Dominic Raab has shown he is not only unfit to serve as a minister, but is totally unfit to represent his constituents in parliament. He should resign as an MP and trigger a byelection so the people of Esher and Walton can finally have the MP they deserve.
Voters across Surrey and the blue w are fed up with this endless Conservative chaos and MPs who take their communities for granted. At the next election in Esher and Walton, it will be a two horse race between more Conservative party chaos or a hardworking Liberal Democrat MP who will listen and stand up for local people.
Esher and Walton, Raab’s constituency, is now one of the Lib Dems’ main target seats.
But there is almost no chance of Raab resigning. And he won’t be forced out by a recall petition because that can only happen as a response to inquiries into parliamentary conduct. Raab is resigning because of an inquiry into what he did as a minister.
Updated
This is from Ellie Reeves, a shadow justice minister, on Dominic Raab’s resignation letter.
No contrition.
— Ellie Reeves (@elliereeves) April 21, 2023
No self-awareness.
No actual apology.
He resigned as he governed.
That he was allowed to lead our justice system for so long is an insult. https://t.co/bDBfj5sMQy
Full text of Dominic Raab's resignation letter
Here is the full text of Dominic Raab’s resignation letter.
Dear Prime Minister,
I am writing to resign from your government, following receipt of the report arising from the inquiry conducted by Adam Tolley KC. I called for the inquiry and undertook to resign, if it made any finding of bullying whatsoever. I believe it is important to keep my word.
It has been a privilege to serve you as Deputy Prime Minister, Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work as a Minister in a range of roles and departments since 2015, and pay tribute to the many outstanding civil servants with whom I have worked.
Whilst I feel duty bound to accept the outcome of the inquiry, it dismissed all but two of the claims levelled against me. I also believe that its two adverse findings are flawed and set a dangerous precedent for the conduct of good government. First, Ministers must be able to exercise direct oversight with respect to senior officials over critical negotiations conducted on behalf of the British people, otherwise the democratic and constitutional principle of Ministerial responsibility will be lost. This was particularly true during my time as Foreign Secretary, in the context of the Brexit negotiations over Gibraltar, when a senior diplomat breached the mandate agreed by Cabinet.
Second, Ministers must be able to give direct critical feedback on briefings and submissions to senior officials, in order to set the standards and drive the reform the public expect of us. Of course, this must be done within reasonable bounds. Mr Tolley concluded that I had not once, in four and a half years, sworn or shouted at anyone, let alone thrown anything or otherwise physically intimidated anyone, nor intentionally sought to belittle anyone. I am genuinely sorry for any unintended stress or offence that any officials felt, as a result of the pace, standards and challenge that I brought to the Ministry of Justice. That is, however, what the public expect of Ministers working on their behalf
In setting the threshold for bullying so low, this inquiry has set a dangerous precedent. It will encourage spurious complaints against Ministers, and have a chilling effect on those driving changen on behalf of your government – and ultimately the British people.
Finally, I raised with you a number of improprieties that came to light during the course of this inquiry. They include the systematic leaking of skewed and fabricated claims to the media in breach of the rules of the inquiry and the Civil Service Code of Conduct, and the coercive removal by a senior official of dedicated Private Secretaries from my Ministry of Justice Private Office, in October of last year. I hope these will be independently reviewed.
I remain as supportive of you and this government, as when I first introduced you at your campaign leadership launch last July. You have proved a great Prime Minister in very challenging times, and you can count on my support from the backbenches.
Updated
Dominic Raab resigns
Dominic Raab has resigned.
My resignation statement.👇 pic.twitter.com/DLjBfChlFq
— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) April 21, 2023
Sunak right to delay decision on Raab bullying report, senior minister says
Rishi Sunak is right to delay the decision on the fate of Dominic Raab, Mark Harper, the transport secretary, has said. Kiran Stacey has the story.
Updated
This is from the Times’ Henry Zeffman on thinking in the Ministry of Justice, where Dominic Raab is currently justice secretary and officials complained about his conduct. (There were also complaints from people who had worked for Raab at the Foreign Office and at the Department for Exiting the European Union.)
Growing dismay in MoJ. One official says: “The process has been dreadful. We've heard nothing and are having to piece things together from the news. This isn't about whether he stays or goes, just how people are treated when they've shown bravery to stand up to a powerful person”
— Henry Zeffman (@hzeffman) April 21, 2023
That prompted these comments from Sky’s Sam Coates.
Perhaps No10 see the attraction of keeping Raab and leaning into a culture war?
— Sam Coates Sky (@SamCoatesSky) April 21, 2023
Could Sunak’s proxies and defenders then be sent out boasting that they “stood up to the blob” and “you can’t give in to snowflakes” and defend robust office culture and drawing clearer lines of… https://t.co/6SicgTmpVM
I can’t see a version of keeping Raab as DPM that doesn’t see the debate turning on an explicit or implied discussion of whether the complaints and complainants were politically motivated - and everyone fighting very hard and it all being quite ugly.
— Sam Coates Sky (@SamCoatesSky) April 21, 2023
And this from Chris Smyth at the Times.
Some of Raab’s allies see it this way.
— Chris Smyth (@Smyth_Chris) April 21, 2023
One minister argues that claims of bullying were “100 per cent” driven by animus among civil servants who want him out
“This whole thing is a witch hunt” https://t.co/ItJJpAesOb
Some of the most combative quotes from the Dominic Raab camp are in the Daily Telegraph’s splash. In their story Ben Riley-Smith and Charles Hymas report:
Allies of Mr Raab said “he’ll fight to the death”, claiming that Mr Sunak’s delay in making a decision suggested there were “grey areas” and the report was not “cut and dried” ….
A source supportive of Mr Raab said: “He is definitely fighting it. We knew he was going to fight it. We know he is lawyered up so he will fight it to save his political skin.”
Both of these quotes are probably less helpful than intended.
If someone is accused of being bullying and aggressive, is it really helpful to suggest they are prepared to “fight to the death”?
And, as Hannah White, head of the Institute for Government points out, if Raab’s allies thinks being “lawyered up” will keep him in his job, then they don’t understand how the system actually works.
Raab supporters who say that he is “lawyered up” have missed the fact that ministers serve at the pleasure of the PM and have no employment contract. No legal recourse either way, totally up to Sunak.
— Hannah White (@DrHannahWhite) April 21, 2023
Updated
Dominic Raab situation a ‘farce’, says union, as Rishi Sunak delays bullying report response
Good morning. If Rishi Sunak was hoping that Dominic Raab would quit voluntarily after reading the Adam Tolley report into the allegations that he repeatedly bullied his officials, he will have been disappointed. As Aubrey Allegretti and Pippa Crerar report in our splash, Raab has read the report and concluded that he does not have to go. They report:
According to one Ministry of Justice source, Raab was battling to stay in post, believing the findings – which he has read – do not mean he should have to resign. By Thursday evening, however, he and Sunak had yet to hold any direct discussions.
Friday’s @guardian front page: Raab fights for political life https://t.co/m6u2tk6z6B pic.twitter.com/NrKPgmQX1l
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) April 20, 2023
Other papers have had the same briefing.
Friday’s Daily TELEGRAPH: “Raab will ‘fight to the death’ to keep job” #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/imchrhZNBV
— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) April 20, 2023
Friday’s TIMES: “Raab stands firm as PM mulls report on bullying” #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/CQVKPSwvPn
— Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) April 20, 2023
So Sunak has a choice; he can either sack Raab, or let him stay in government. There are variations on each option – dismissal could be tempered by a promise to bring Raab back; remaining in office could come with sanctions, such as an apology, or attending an anger management course. But the people who complained about Raab want him out, and so essentially the choice is binary.
Sacking Raab would make Sunak look firm and authoritative. But it would alarm Tory MPs who don’t want government personnel decisions decided by what they see as “snowflake” civil servants, and the media; it would revive questions as to what Raab was appointed in the first place; and it would be a harsh way to repay someone who was one of Sunak strongest supporters in the leadership contest last summer.
Letting Raab stay would avoid all these problems, do more for party unity, and signal to Tories Sunak’s determination not to cave into pressure from opponents in parliament, Whitehall and the media. But it would make Sunak look like Boris Johnson (who ignored a report saying Priti Patel was a bully), and it would leave Sunak’s promise when he became PM to lead a government of “integrity, professionalism and accountability” looking rather threadbare.
Mark Harper, the transport secretary, has been giving interviews this morning, but he has been unable to say exactly when Sunak will take a decision and the position is the same as it was last night; the PM is considering the matter carefully. Harper told the BBC:
I think actually that’s the fair thing to do both for the complainants, who made some serious complaints, but also for Dominic Raab. I think for both sides in this the prime minister should take the time.
But the FDA, the union that represents senior civil servants, has described the situation as a farce. The union has been supporting some of the officials who complained about Raab and Dave Penman, its general secretary, told BBC Breakfast that Sunak should have taken a decision already. He said:
We don’t need to redefine bullying, bullying is dealt with in workplaces up and down the country. There are demanding bosses and there are bullies, and everyone knows the difference.
We don’t really know why [Sunak] hasn’t been able to decide on the facts that were presented to him yesterday. It just reinforces the point of what a kind of farce this whole process is for those who raised complaints.
Whatever the reason for that is, a completely unsatisfactory state of affairs, to be honest.
The Commons is not sitting today, and we are expecting the news today to focus on Raab. But Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, is delivering a speech at 11am on primary health care. And Keir Starmer is on a visit in Yorkshire, where he will do a Q&A with health and care students.
If you want to contact me, do try the new “send us a message” feature. You’ll see it just below the byline – on the left of the screen, if you are reading on a PC or a laptop. (It is not available on the app yet.) This is for people who want to message me directly. I find it very useful when people message to point out errors (even typos – no mistake is too small to correct). Often I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either in the comments below the line, privately (if you leave an email address and that seems more appropriate), or in the main blog, if I think it is a topic of wide interest.
Updated
