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PM accused of 'objects and delays' over whether to keep Tory PM Dominic Raab's career is on hold after Rishi Sunak decided he needed time to decide whether or not to sack his deputy prime minister after reviewing the report on the bullying allegations. Sunak has been accused of "delay" after Number 10 revealed that the Prime Minister is not expected to announce a decision on Raab's future on Thursday, despite having hosted Adam Tolley KC today.
A spokesperson for Number 10 said Mr Sunak "has full confidence in the Deputy Prime Minister, that still stands", adding: "Obviously he is carefully considering the findings of the report."
Lib Dems leader Wendy Chamberlain said: "People will get tired of these hesitations and delays," adding: "It seems like almost every week there is some sleaze and scandal issue in which Sunak is involved in himself or too weak to take hold it.”
Mr Raab has denied the bullying allegations, insisting that he believes with "heart and soul" that he is not a bully. But the attorney general also promised he would resign if a bullying claim is upheld.
The deputy prime minister has been under investigation since November for eight official complaints about his behavior as Foreign Secretary, Brexit Secretary and his first term as Justice Secretary.
One person involved in the process called the report by Adam Tolley KC "devastating", while a senior government official said Raab was "toasting", according to the Financial Times.
Raab has been accused of causing staff to break down in tears or vomit before meetings. The minister was also accused of throwing Pret-A-Manger tomatoes into a room in a "fit of rage", a claim he denied.
The FDA's head of public services, Dave Penman, said some of the staff who worked with the senior Conservative minister had suffered "mental health crises" and were forced to resign and demote their jobs because working with him was too much. difficult.
Rishi Sunak is still weighing the decision to fire Dominic Raab
Tolley was said to have been "meticulous" in his handling of the investigation, interviewing Raab on a number of occasions and speaking to or collecting written evidence from other figures.
Senior officials at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) are reportedly preparing to resign if the Prime Minister decides to keep Mr. Raab in government, as it would be "demoralizing" for the staff.
“If he stays in the department, senior managers will want to leave,” an official told The Guardian. Another said that some would be preparing to "leave in the near future."
Sunak said in November that he "was and was not aware of any official complaints about Dominic's behavior" but declined to say whether he was aware of any informal warnings about Raab before naming him.
On Wednesday, at the long-delayed ministerial interest register, it emerged that Raab had asked his own legal team to defend himself against the allegations.
The decision to pay his lawyers came despite the taxpayer paying an estimated £222,000 bill for Boris Johnson's legal costs in the Partygate inquiry into whether he lied to MPs.
PA wire
Dominique Raab
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