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Dominic Raab called the findings "flawed" and set a dangerous precedent. Dominic Raab resigned dramatically as deputy prime minister on Friday with a defiant attack on an investigation into bullying that found he had been "consistently aggressive" towards officials. An independent investigation found that Mr. Raab had done what "could have been construed as a threat" and had a "significant" negative effect on the official involved.
Raab made good on his promise to stand down if convicted of intimidation, but in an extraordinary move he also took aim at the investigation, saying he had been the subject of a "Kafkaesque saga" that would harm the government and the British people would pay. the price. came as:
No 10 sources said the prime minister had not told his deputy to resign, despite overnight criticism, including from his own ministers, that he was unsure of his deputy's fate.
Downing Street also insisted that the prime minister did not regret not acting more quickly before the two spoke on Friday morning, almost 24 hours after first receiving the report.
But in the end, Raab published his resignation letter and an opinion piece in the Daily Telegraph, setting out his version of events, before Issue 10 published the official findings.
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Sunak of "indecision" and "weakness". "Why didn't you fire her?" He has asked.
Dominic Raab acted 'intimidating', report says
The report found that Mr. Raab "acted in an intimidating manner, meaning unreasonable and persistent aggressive behavior in the context of a business meeting."
In one case, their conduct was deemed “despicable or humiliating” by the complainant. “It can be inferred that the DPM was aware that this would be the effect of its conduct; At the very least, I should have known," the report says.
“On several occasions in meetings with politicians, the DPM acted intimidatingly,” he said.
Earlier in his resignation letter, Raab, who denied the bullying allegations, said he felt a "duty" to accept the outcome of the investigation.
Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Raab also claimed that a senior official had ordered staff out of his office, saying they were suffering from 'Stockholm syndrome', a charge he denied.
In a letter to his former deputy, Sunak accepted Raab's resignation but pointed to "deficiencies" in the investigation that "negatively affected everyone involved."
The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Office to review the complaint processes against ministers following the Raab case.
Sunak did not criticize Raab himself and thanked him for his "delivering record" in government, including deputizing for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson when he was hospitalized with covid.
In a decision that Mr. Raab disputed, Mr. Sunak chose to adopt a definition of bullying that did not depend on the Deputy Prime Minister knowing or intending to be "offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting".
The findings of the independent inquiry by Adam Tolley KC reached the Prime Minister's desk on Thursday morning, but the results were not initially published.
The former deputy prime minister resigned but denounced the findings of the investigation
But the prime minister also faced an almost immediate backlash from his own lawmakers over Raab's disputed departure.
A Conservative MP tweeted in response to Raab's letter: "We are not a serious country." And in a sharp dig at Sunak, former culture secretary Nadine Dorries said that "the least desirable qualities in any politician are disloyalty, weakness, self-preservation and lack of principle."
In his letter, Raab claimed that the report's findings would "encourage false accusations against ministers" within Whitehall.
He said the investigation dismissed "all but two of the allegations" against him, it added.
And he implied that he had been the victim of a witch hunt.
He said he discussed with Mr. Sunak "a number of irregularities that have come to light during this investigation."
“They include the systematic release of biased and fabricated allegations to the media in violation of the investigative rules and code of conduct for public service, and the coercive removal by a senior official of dedicated private secretaries from my private cabinet. of the ministry. of Justice in October of last year. Hopefully these will be independently reviewed," he wrote.
Rishi Sunak had faced calls to fire Raab over the allegations.
In a strong defense of his actions, he said ministers must be able to "exercise direct control over senior officials in critical negotiations conducted on behalf of the British people, otherwise the democratic and constitutional principle of ministerial accountability will be lost."
This was particularly true when he was Foreign Secretary, he said, when "in the context of the Brexit negotiations on Gibraltar... a senior diplomat breached the mandate agreed by Cabinet."
He added: "Secondly, ministers must be able to provide direct critical feedback on briefings and presentations to senior civil servants to set the standards and drive the reform that the public expects of us. Of course, this must be done within what is reasonable".
He said he was "truly sorry for any unintended stress or insult" officials felt.
But he added: 'I have called for an investigation and have promised to resign, if he finds any intimidation. I believe in keeping my word.
Downing Street said it was not aware of any plans to launch a review of the kind that Raab requested when he resigned.
Conservative MP Philip Davis agreed with Raab, saying the findings would encourage "false complaints against ministers".
But Sir Keir accused Raab of 'moaning'.
“I don't know why Dominic Raab, in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, thinks everyone wants to hear his complaints about having to resign,” he said. "I think everyone wants strong leadership and that has been conspicuously absent here."
Labor leader Keir Starmer accused Raab of 'moaning'
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.
Sunak ordered Tolley to investigate after numerous reports from unnamed officials calling his behavior bullying.
Raab has denied the allegations of intimidation.
Conservative lawmakers threw their support behind Raab, saying his resignation showed "we are not a serious country."
Beaconsfield MP Joy Morrisey said the report's findings mean the definition of bullying "now includes telling someone to do their job".
And Scarborough and Whitby MP Robert Goodwill said he was "very sad for Dom" who "still comes across as a really genuine and decent chap".
"If you're determined to get things done, you may be less understanding of people who don't share that determination," he told Times Radio.
Prior to his resignation, senior officials at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) were preparing to resign if the prime minister decided to keep Raab in government because it would be "demoralizing" for the staff.
At the long-delayed ministerial interest register on Wednesday, 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.
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.
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Dominic Raab (Peter Byrne/AP)
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