‘Plausible’ for Raab to be characterised as someone who could bully, former top civil servant warns

Simon McDonald, who worked closely Mr Raab at the Foreign Office, described him as ‘a tough boss’

Rishi Sunak is facing growing questions over his promotion of a second cabinet minister after a senior civil servant agreed that the characterisation of him as someone who could bully was “plausible”.

The prime minister has defended Dominic Raab after he was accused of rude and demeaning behaviour towards officials.

Mr Sunak said he did not "recognise” that description of his deputy and denied knowing of any formal complaints against him.

But Simon McDonald, who worked closely with justice secretary Dominic Raab when they were both at the Foreign Office, described him as “a tough boss” and “one of the most driven people I have ever worked for”.

Asked by Andrew Marr on LBC if “the characterisation of him as somebody who could bully, and around whom bullying happened, is a plausible one”, Mr McDonald, the former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, replied: “Yes.”

A survey of 20 people working in Mr Raab's private office when he was foreign secretary in 2019 found that 40 per cent reported personal experience of bullying and harassment – although not necessarily by Mr Raab himself – and 75 per cent had witnessed it, ITV reported on Sunday.

The allegations against Mr Raab were first reported in The Guardian.

The Mirror also reported that the justice secretary had acquired the nickname “The Incinerator” because of the rate at which he “burns through” staff.

Downing Street said that the prime minister believed that everyone in public life should treat others with “consideration and respect”.

Mr Sunak is already facing questions about a number of appointments to his cabinet.

Last week former education secretary Gavin Williamson resigned from the government saying he wanted to clear his name amid allegations of bullying.

The home secretary Suella Braverman was also roundly condemned when she claimed the UK faced an “invasion” of migrants on its south coast.

Labour and the Lib Dems have called for an inquiry into the allegations surrounding Mr Raab.

A spokesperson for Mr Raab said: “The DPM has worked in government for over seven years as a minister or secretary of state across four departments and enjoyed strong working relationships with officials across Whitehall. He consistently holds himself to the highest standards of professionalism and has never received nor been made aware of any formal complaint against him.”