Rishi Sunak Says He Still Has ‘Full Confidence’ in Dominic Raab Over Complaints

British Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab walks outside Downing Street, in London, Britain, March 23, 2022. (Peter Cziborra/Reuters)

The UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak still has full confidence in Dominic Raab as the Deputy Prime Minister faces further complaints about his conduct, No. 10 said.

This follows the news that senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC has been appointed by Sunak to look into two formal complaints of bullying by Deputy Prime Minister Raab.

On Thursday BBC Newsnight, using unnamed sources, claimed that Raab is facing fresh complaints from senior civil servants across multiple government departments.

The Guardian on Nov. 11 cited a number of unnamed sources saying Raab has been “very rude and aggressive” towards civil servants and that he had created a “culture of fear” in the Ministry of Justice.

Raab requested an investigation on Nov. 16 about the two formal complaints.

“I’m confident I behaved professionally throughout but of course, I will engage thoroughly and look forward to transparently addressing any claims that have been made,” said Raab.

He posted on Twitter that he looked “forward to addressing these complaints, and continuing to serve as Deputy Prime Minister, Justice Secretary, and Lord Chancellor.”

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak waves to members of the media after taking office outside Number 10 in Downing Street, London, on Oct. 25, 2022. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Investigator

On Thursday, Downing Street backed Raab. Sunak previously said he had not been aware of any “formal complaints” about his conduct.

“It’s a long-standing convention that the prime minister of the day is the arbiter of the (ministerial) code and the final decision-maker on these sorts of issues,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.

“The investigator looking into this is highly experienced and has a suitable background and is being given access to whatever they need to conduct a thorough and swift investigation,” he added.

Tolly was appointed by the Prime Minister and will report to him. This is to “establish the specific facts and provide his findings” surrounding the formal complaints made against Raab at the Ministry of Justice and the Foreign Office.

Tolley “will have access to all the information he wishes to see.”

“He’s asked to look into those two formal complaints to establish the facts. He’s also able to discuss with the Prime Minister if he wants to look into other issues that may arise,” he said.

The government said that the findings will be published in full.

“The investigation is ongoing, I don’t intend to provide a running commentary on what is an independent and—rightly—confidential process,” he added.

Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner listens to speeches in the main hall on day four of the Labour Party conference in Brighton, England, on Sept. 28, 2021. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

‘Whitewash’

Writing on Twitter, Deputy Leader of Labour and Shadow First Secretary of State Angela Rayner said that “there must be no hint of a whitewash.”

“Rishi Sunak’s ‘independent investigation’ covers just two complaints against Dominic Raab. It must immediately be expanded to allow investigation into the slew of concerning claims about his Deputy’s conduct,” she added.

Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain MP said if the complaints against Raab were upheld the Prime Minister must sack him as “anything less would make a mockery of his promise to bring back integrity.”

Newsnight also made claims about Raab using his personal email for government business.

Downing Street said ministers were allowed to use private emails within the terms of existing guidance, following allegations about Raab’s use of a personal account for government business.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Ministers are able to use various forms of communication.

“As long as they take heed of that guidance, there is not a binary restriction on use of personal email addresses.”

Suella Braverman resigned as UK home secretary on Oct. 19 after she was caught sending a backbench Conservative MP a sensitive document from a personal email account, breaching the ministerial code. She was forced to resign by then Prime Minister Liz Truss, however, hours after Sunak replaced Truss as prime minister on Oct. 25, he reappointed her as home secretary.

Lily Zhou, Alexander Zhang, and PA media contributed to this report.