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Health Secretary Steve Barclay became the latest minister to face bullying allegations, with officials in his department apparently "raising concern" over his conduct towards staff. The Guardian reported that civil servants complained informally to the department's mandarin head about how they were treated by Barclay, while senior officials spoke privately of "bullying" and other "bad behaviour" on his part. Allies of Mr Barclay 'totally deny' the harassment. The Department of Health and Social Care said it had not received formal complaints about the behavior of its ministers, but did not deny being aware of any informal complaints.
It comes after Dominic Raab resigned as deputy prime minister and justice secretary last week after an independent inquiry found he had intimidated public officials.
Adam Tolley KC's five-month investigation into eight official complaints about Mr Raab's conduct found that he behaved in a way that 'undermines or humiliates' while foreign secretary and criticized the work of officials as 'appalling'. and "totally useless" while he was secretary of justice.
Concerns about Barclay predate the publication of the Tolley report, according to The Guardian.
The newspaper cited unnamed sources as saying he was "provocative", "constantly angry" and "makes people nervous and is generally a bit off-putting".
A source close to the Health Secretary said: 'No complaints have been made.
When asked if they denied being harassed, they replied: "I totally deny."
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: 'The department has not received any formal complaints about the behavior of its ministers.
"Any complaints about ministers or staff would be investigated in accordance with ministry guidelines."
These latest reports are deeply concerning and must be immediately investigated by the Cabinet Office.
The day after his departure, Raab launched a tirade against "militant civil servants" who he said had the ability to obstruct the democratic mandate given to ministers.
The claims about Barclay will prove problematic for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whose vow to restore "integrity" and "professionalism" in government was questioned after Raab became the third minister to step down since taking office. in October.
Liberal Democrats have called for the "deeply disturbing" reports to be investigated.
Lib Dem spokesperson for health and social care, Daisy Cooper, said: "This government has not one shred of integrity left." Every day we see more chaos, more sleaze and more scandal.
“These latest reports are deeply disturbing and must be immediately investigated by the Cabinet Office. Great Britain is tired of the tyrants who rule the country.
“Steve Barclay now joins a long list of Conservative ministers being accused of inappropriate behaviour.
“Rishi Sunak cannot ignore these latest reports; You should start an investigation immediately. No staff member should be subjected to working with or for a harasser.
PA wire
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