Sunak has strongly defended Raab, who has already been criticized for his judgment following the promotion of other controversial ministers such as Suella Braverman and Gavin Williamson. “I do not recognize this characterization of Dominic and I am not aware of any official complaints against him,” he told reporters on his plane en route to the G20 summit in Bali. “Of course, there are established procedures for civil servants if they want to bring any issues to light. I am not aware of any official complaint against Dominique.” However, Simon McDonald, the former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office when Raab was in charge there, has suggested the bullying claims were accurate. He described Raab as “one of the most dynamic people” he had ever worked for and a “tough boss”, before admitting his comments may be “euphemisms”. Asked by LBC radio presenter Andrew Marr whether it was fair to describe Raab as “someone who could bully and around whom the bullying happened”, he replied: “Yes”. Sunak was speaking as ITV reported a new allegation that eight people who worked in Raab’s private office when he was foreign secretary claimed they were bullied or harassed at work. The results of an HR survey leaked to the broadcaster found that 15 people in the office saw someone else being bullied or treated unfairly. The person or persons who did the bullying were not identified in the investigation. The prime minister suggested that this could not be taken as evidence of Raab’s misconduct. “I understand that these surveys are annual and relate to the overall work environment, not individuals,” he said. It follows a report by the Guardian that Raab’s return to the Ministry of Justice prompted officials to be offered the chance to move out of his private office over concerns about his behaviour. They have been offered “a break or a ride out” from the department and at least 15 staff have received reassurances as a result of their stress. The department’s permanent secretary, Antonia Romeo, is said to have “read him the riot act” after he returned to the Ministry of Justice after Sunak became prime minister – warning Raab about his treatment of staff. Raab was one of Sunak’s most high-profile and early supporters in the leadership contest, taking on tough show rounds in his defense and acting as a key attack dog against Liz Truss. His actions in the leadership campaign led to his dismissal from cabinet by Truss, but he was reinstated to his former position at the Ministry of Justice by Sunak. No 10 said the prime minister had full confidence in Raab and denied knowing of any official complaints against his deputy. However, when repeatedly pressed on the matter, the spokesperson failed to deny that an informal complaint may have been made. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Over the weekend, the Observer revealed that concerns had been raised about Raab’s treatment of officials during his time as Brexit secretary in 2018. A senior source said there had been a “serious expression of concern” in Cabinet by a key ministry official. accusing Raab of “unprofessional and even bullying” behavior towards staff in his private office. No action was taken. Spokesman No 10 added: “As the Prime Minister has said in the past, people in public life should treat others with consideration and respect. These are principles on which this government will stand. “There are established procedures by which civil servants can file complaints. These procedures allow for the review and consideration of allegations with due process and a fair hearing. We are not aware that an official complaint has been filed.” The allegations about Raab follow the resignation of Cabinet minister Gavin Williamson, another prominent Sunak ally during the leadership campaign. Williamson was accused of intimidating deputies and officials, including sending abusive texts to former Chief Wendy Morton, and public officials said he had used threatening language. Williamson denied the allegations of intimidation. Sunak did not issue such a strong defense of Williamson after the texts to Morton came to light and said there would be an investigation after condemning the language used. Williamson resigned later that week as a minister in the Cabinet Office following a series of damaging stories about his time as defense secretary and chief whip. A spokesman for Raab said: “Dominic has never received or been informed of a formal complaint against him. He consistently holds himself to the highest standards of professionalism and enjoys good working relationships across Whitehall.”
