Dominic Raab to Stand Down as MP at Next Election

Dominic Raab leaves No. 10 Downing Street following a Cabinet meeting in London on April 18, 2023. (Jordan Pettitt/PA Media)

Dominic Raab, who resigned from the Cabinet last month, has confirmed he will stand down as an MP at the next general election.

Raab, a key ally of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, resigned as deputy prime minister and justice secretary on April 21 over bullying allegations.

Raab confirmed with PA news agency on Monday night that he will not contest his Esher and Walton seat, which he has held since 2010, at the next election, due by January 2025.

In a letter to the chairman of his local Conservative Association, seen by The Telegraph, Raab reportedly cited concerns about the pressure on his family as being behind his decision.

“I have become increasingly concerned over the past few years about the pressure the job has placed on my young family,” he wrote in the letter dated May 19, according to the newspaper.

“I will continue to carry out all my responsibilities to my constituents, and provide every support in campaigning, so that we win here next year—which I am confident we can do under this prime minister’s leadership.”

Slim Majority

Raab won his Surrey constituency with just 2,743 votes at the 2019 election. His seat is a key target for the Liberal Democrats at the next national poll.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said Raab decided to stand down because he knew he was going to lose.

Davey told LBC radio on Tuesday: “He knew he was going to lose. We have been working really well there.”

“It’s not just about Dominic Raab—it really is about the whole Conservative Party,” he added.

Raab joins a slew of senior Conservative politicians, including former chancellor Sajid Javid and ex-environment secretary George Eustice, announcing their exit plans amid a polling slump.

Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who sits as an independent after he lost the Tory whip over his appearance on a reality TV show, and Dehenna Davison, seen as a rising star in the party, are also among around 30 Tories to be quitting the House of Commons.

Bullying Probe

Raab’s resignation from Cabinet came after an inquiry found he had acted in an “intimidating” manner towards civil servants.

In his report, senior lawyer Adam Tolley, KC, said Raab “acted in a way which was intimidating, in the sense of unreasonably and persistently aggressive conduct in the context of a work meeting” when he made a “legitimate management choice” as the foreign secretary.

The report said Raab also mentioned “the Civil Service Code in a way which could reasonably have been understood as suggesting that those involved had acted in breach of the Civil Service Code,” which “was a form of intimidating behaviour, in the sense of conveying a threat of unspecified disciplinary action.”

It also said Raab didn’t target anyone or intend to threaten anyone, but should have realised that his mentioning the Civil Service Code “could well have been understood as a threat.”

Regarding group complaints in relation to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the report said the former justice secretary had “acted in a manner which was intimidating” by making unconstructive critical comments on a number of occasions.

The report said Raab’s style of working was “inquisitorial, direct, impatient, and fastidious,” but said there was “no persuasive evidence” that he had shouted or sworn at anyone.

In his letter of resignation to Sunak, Raab said he was “genuinely sorry for any unintended stress or offence” any officials felt “as a result of the pace, standards, and challenge” he brought to the MoJ.

But he argued that the inquiry has “set a dangerous precedent” by “setting the threshold for bullying so low,” saying it will “encourage spurious complaints against ministers, and have a chilling effect on those driving change.”

Lily Zhou and PA Media contributed to this report.