I didn’t feel great about yesterday’s newsletter. It did the basics – it was accurate, legal ok and boasted the usual pop culture reference which a colleague recently pointed out to me was my stock-in-trade. It set out the political choices facing the prime minister over the position of Dominic Raab and what his departure might mean for the direction government. But it had one glaring absence – the impact of bullying on people.
Of course, the report by Adam Tolley KC had yet to be released. The allegations were just that. And by 3pm, I was mostly hoping it would not be published so I wouldn’t have to scramble. Still, it didn’t sit right with me.
Bullying in the workplace is horrible. The impact on employees is grim and rarely dissipates when they leave the office or close their laptops. There is much to choose from in Tolley’s 48-page report, but one paragraph, first brought to my attention by all-round Whitehall sage Jill Rutter, stands out like no other.
“There was a broad consensus amongst interviewees that, whatever might have been said about the DPM’s [Raab’s] conduct prior to the investigation, there was little or no valid ground for criticism of the DPM’s conduct once the investigation was announced.” In other words, he was capable of controlling his behaviour.
In all, the deputy prime minister faced eight formal complaints during his time at the Department for Exiting the European Union, the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). Two were upheld. In his report, Tolley writes that Raab had formed an “adverse view” of civil servants’ actions on an ongoing project and acted in a way that was “unreasonably and persistently aggressive”.
At MoJ, Dominic Raab described the work of officials as “utterly useless” and “woeful”. Elsewhere, his conduct involved “an abuse or misuse of power in a way that undermines or humiliates.” Raab’s resignation letter, circulated prior to the publication of the report, fails to address these points, or offer an apology.
If any of this sounds familiar, about a year ago I reflected on the culture of bullying in Westminster, following the damning report into former Commons Speaker John Bercow.
It’s not really the point, but it isn’t obvious that Raab’s behaviour, as laid out in the report, made him an especially successful secretary of state. What achievements can he point to from his five years in the cabinet? Compare that with someone like Michael Gove, hardly Remainer-in-chief, who has been broadly liked by civil servants in each department he has run and can point to, for better or worse, a solid record of reform.
Of course, the politics of this are playing out in the usual way. Letters have been exchanged between the departing secretary of state and prime minister. Opposition parties are calling the prime minister weak and questioning his judgement. Some people are getting promoted – Alex Chalk is the new justice secretary, Oliver Dowden deputy prime minister. Life moves on.
Sadly, all too many people have experienced or witnessed bullying in the workplace, from incompetent leaders or mean-spirited line managers. Sometimes it is the fault of individuals, others a case of a culture which empowers the worst in all of us. Either way, it is never acceptable.
In his resignation letter, Raab complained that we are “setting the threshold for bullying so low“. Another way of looking at it is that we are setting a standard other ministers must follow. That would at least be something.
In the comment pages, Emily Sheffield says that Boomers got lucky – now it’s time ministers fixed the pensions timebomb. While I come to terms with the most profound way in which Man City have broken football (I also have a go at now former blue tickers on Twitter).
And finally, Saturday is record store day. Check out our pick of seven of the best free events happening in London.
Have a lovely weekend.
