UK Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Dominic Raab has resigned from his post following the conclusion of an investigation into allegations of harassment and intimidating conduct against him.
In a message to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Twitter, Raab said the investigation had set a dangerous precedent, but he still stood by the government.
I have requested an investigation and have agreed to resign if I come to any conclusions of intimidation. “I consider it important to keep my promise,” Raab wrote.
However, he noted: “By setting a bar on harassment, the inquiry has set a dangerous precedent. It will encourage false complaints against ministers and act as a deterrent to those who seek to make changes on behalf of your government – and ultimately the British people.”
Raab’s resignation marks the third senior politician to leave over personal misconduct since Rishi Sunak entered Downing Street in October, after Chief Cabinet Secretary Gavin Williamson and Conservative Party leader Nadeem Zahawi.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has tasked lawyer Adam Tolele with an independent investigation into the complaints after a series of negative media reports. According to the rules, the Prime Minister takes the final decision after knowing the outcome of the investigation.
Raab has been under investigation for five months over eight formal complaints relating to his conduct in his first term as foreign secretary, Brexit secretary and justice minister.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice denied the accusations. He has stated several times that he believes with all his heart and soul that he is not a bully, while defending his direct approach to his work.
Civil servants accused Raab of intimidating his colleagues so much that they often cried or vomited before meetings. He also accused the minister of throwing tomatoes in his room in a fit of anger, which Raab officially denied.
Raab was previously British foreign secretary under Boris Johnson, but was demoted in 2021 after his ministry mishandled the UK’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. He was also Minister for Brexit for a short time under Theresa May, but he resigned from that post as well, in protest of the failed Brexit deal.
Cover photo: Dominic Raab at a press conference on April 7, 2020 (Source: Flickr.com/number10gov)
