Resigns the ‘number two’ of Rishi Sunak in the Government after being investigated for workplace harassment

the deputy british minister and Justice minister Dominic Raab resigned this Friday after the report on Raab’s alleged workplace harassment came to light. adam tolleythe lawyer in charge of the independent investigation, included in his report accusations of bullying behavior of at least three officials: Antonia Romeo, from the Ministry of Justice, Simon McDonald, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Philip Rycroft, a senior diplomat in the Brexit negotiations.

In a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Posted on Twitter, Raab said the investigation had set a dangerous precedent, but he would continue to support the government. The Sunak’s indecision since the report reached him on Thursday as to what action to take had generated a crisis in the Conservative Party. The resignation increases the discredit of the Government and complicates your future.

“Dear Prime Minister, I am writing to resign from your Government after receiving the report of the investigation carried out by Adam Tolley. I promised to resign if there was any finding of intimidation. I think it’s important to keep my word,” Raab says, acknowledging the report’s conclusions.

On Dominic Raab they weighed various accusations and formal lawsuits for his treatment of government officials. ‘The Guardian’ reported that the victims complained that Raab intimidated and humiliated them in public. Some claimed cry frequently as a result of their slightswhile others vomited before meetings.

Parliamentarian from the Labor Party Ellie Reevessometimes referred to as a “shadow justice minister“, has harshly attacked the management of Raab after his resignation: “No contrition. No self awareness. No actual apology. He resigned while he ruled. That he was allowed to run our justice system for so long it is an insult“.

[Rishi Sunak, nuevo primer ministro de Reino Unido: el hijo de dos hindúes llega al 10 de Downing Street]

In addition, the leader of the Liberal Democrats daisy cooper has asked Raab to also hand over as a deputy: “Not only has he shown that he is unfit to serve as a minister, but he has also is totally incapable of representing his constituents in Parliament“.

For Sunak, however, it is a “sad” and important march, since it was his main trusted man both in the Government and in the ‘tories’. In addition, in these six months in charge of the country, the Minister of Education Gavin Williamson He also resigned in November for workplace harassment of his collaborators and the president of the Conservative Party Nadhim Zahawi he was fired for breaking tax rules.

On the other hand, Sunak is already facing his own investigation by the parliamentary standards watchdog on whether it correctly declared the his wife’s shareholding in a day care center that will benefit from the new government policy. Upon accepting the post, Sunak He promised that he would form an “integral, professional and responsible” government.

Raab’s resignation

Dominic Raab was born in the Czech Republic, into a Jewish family who had fled from the Nazis in 1938. He had a brilliant academic career as a law student at the Oxford University. As a lawyer, he made a name for himself in international cases on tax matters and competition law.

In 2010 he became a Member of the UK Parliament and has since accumulated several high-ranking ministerial posts. However, his problems came in november 2022when, after months of rumors, several officials dared to present formal demands.

After being himself the one asked Sunak to commission an independent investigationSince he was convinced of his innocence, he agreed to resign in case the report was not favourable.

In his resignation letter, Raab accepts the result of the investigation, although he continues to defend that there is only evidence of possible intimidating behavior in two cases. One related to his dealings with Philip Rycroft, Brexit diplomat. Another, when he was critical between 2021 and 2022 with Anthony Romeo, worker of the Ministry of Justice. This is what her statement says:

Although I feel obliged to accept the result of the investigation, it dismissed all but two of the complaints made against me. I also believe that his two adverse findings are wrong and set a dangerous precedent for good governance.

Firstly, ministers must be able to exercise direct oversight over senior officials over critical negotiations conducted on behalf of the British people, otherwise the democratic and constitutional principle of ministerial accountability will be lost. This was especially true during my time as foreign minister, in the context of the Brexit negotiations on Gibraltar, when a senior diplomat breached the mandate agreed by Cabinet.

Second, ministers must be able to give direct critical feedback on briefings and presentations to senior officials, in order to set the standards and drive the reform that citizens expect of us. Of course, this must be done within reasonable limits.

Mr. Tolley concluded that, in four and a half years, he had not insulted or yelled at anyone, let alone thrown or physically intimidated anyone, or intentionally tried to put anyone down. I sincerely regret any unintentional stress or offense some officials may have felt as a result of the pace, regulations and challenge I brought to the Ministry of Justice. Yet that is what citizens expect from the ministers working on their behalf.

By setting such a low threshold for bullying, this research has set a dangerous precedent. It will encourage spurious allegations against Ministers and will have a chilling effect on those who are pushing for change on behalf of their Government and ultimately the British people.

Finally, I raised a series of irregularities that came to light in the course of this investigation. Among them, the systematic leaking to the media of biased and fabricated claims, in violation of investigative standards and the Civil Service Code of Conduct, and the coercive removal by a senior official of dedicated Private Secretaries of my Office Private from the Ministry of Justice, in October of last year. I hope these facts will be the subject of an independent review.

I continue to support you and this Government, as when I first introduced you at the launch of your leadership campaign last July. You have proven to be a great Prime Minister in very difficult times, and you can count on my support from the benches.