By Tony O’Reilly-
Dominic Raab is facing a further five formal complaints from Ministry of Justice civil servants over allegations of bullying behaviour during his previous stint running the department, No 10 has confirmed.
Downing Street announced that the justice secretary was under investigation for a total of eight separate incidents, with Downing Street officials saying they want the independent inquiry concluded swiftly.
The three complaints already under investigation related to his time as foreign secretary and Brexit secretary, as well as at the Ministry of Justice.
A spokesman for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was “pretty shocking” that no action had been taken against Mr Raab and called for him to be suspended.
He said it was “a consequence of having a weak prime minister” that Mr Raab continued to serve in government while complaints about his behaviour were investigated.
Speaking in front of a committee of MPs this afternoon, Mr Raab said: “I believe I have behaved professionally throughout.
“But of course I welcome, indeed I called for an, investigation so that I could deal with [the complaints] transparently, not through the tittle tattle that is anonymously leaked to the media.”
Mr Sunak has said he does not “recognise that characterisation” of Mr Raab, while other top Tory MPs defended Mr Raab, saying he had high standards and was very decent.
The deputy prime minister had vowed to “thoroughly rebut and refute” the three official complaints he was already facing, one from the MoJ and two from his time as foreign secretary and Brexit secretary.
The increase in allegations is a set back for Mr. Raab and raises further questions about Rishi Sunak’s judgment in giving him such a senior post.
Labour called for the cabinet minister to be suspended from his roles as deputy prime minister and justice secretary, which he first held between September 2021 and September 2022, while the eight formal complaints were investigated amid concern that he had lost the confidence of his department..
The fresh complaints are understood to be from senior civil servants with direct experience of alleged bullying and aggressive behaviour by the justice secretary when he was previously at the department. “They feel they need to stand shoulder to shoulder with more junior staff,” one source said.
Downing Street defended Raab remaining in post despite the growing number of allegations. The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “We think it’s right that there’s an independent process and the investigator looks into these claims thoroughly before coming to view.”
Sunak has appointed a top employment barrister, Adam Tolley KC, who has experience of handling whistleblower claims, to investigate the formal complaints about his deputy. He will report to the prime minister, who will then decide whether Raab should face sanction.
An MoJ spokesperson said: “There is zero tolerance for bullying across the civil service. The deputy prime minister leads a professional department, driving forward major reforms, where civil servants are valued and the level of ambition is high.
“There is an independent investigation under way that is being overseen by the Cabinet Office and it would be inappropriate to comment further on issues relating to it until it is completed