Dominic Raab resigns – latest: Ex-deputy PM attacks ‘activist’ civil servants after bullying report

Raab accuses ‘small minority of very activist civil servants’ of blocking proposed reforms

Keir Starmer says Dominic Raab’s resignation shows Rishi Sunak's ‘continual weakness’

Dominic Raab has accused “activist” and “passive aggressive” civil servants of trying to block reforms like Brexit in a new interview.

Mr Raab resigned from cabinet this morning after a report upheld two claims of bullying against him and found he was “unreasonably and persistently aggressive” in a meeting while foreign secretary.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Raab charged a small group of “very activist” senior civil servants with pushing back against proposed government reforms because they don’t support them.

The former deputy PM complained that the report into his conduct did not make clear that no complaints lodged by junior officials were upheld.

He told the BBC that two instances where he was found at fault came from a “handful of very senior officials”.

Mr Raab said there was risk that a “very small minority of very activist civil servants” not in favour of the reforms were “effectively trying to block government”.

“That’s not on. That’s not democratic,” he added.

Mr Raab’s departure sparked a mini-reshuffle, with Alex Chalk, a former junior minister for the Ministry of Defence, replacing him as justice secretary, and Oliver Dowden as deputy prime minister.

Key Points

• Meet Sunak’s new deputy PM: Comprehensive kid known as ‘Olive’ who was compared to Tony Blair’s attack dog Alastair Campbell
• Raab attacks ‘activist’ and ‘passive aggressive' civil servants in new interview
• Report finds Raab ‘intimidated’ and ‘humiliated’ civil servants
• Dominic Raab replaced as justice secretary by Alex Chalk
• Dominic Raab hits out at ‘Kafkaesque’ bullying probe
• Sunak joins Raab in condemning bullying probe
• Deputy PM resigns over bullying report

[22 April 2023 16:02 · Matt Mathers]

ICYMI: Raab acted in an ‘intimidating’ fashion with ‘persistently aggressive conduct’, report finds

Dominic Raab dramatically quit as deputy prime minister on Friday with a defiant attack on a bullying inquiry that found he had been “persistently aggressive” towards officials.

An independent investigation found Mr Raab had made what “could have been understood as a threat” and that he had “acted in a way which was intimidating”.

Full report:

[22 April 2023 16:30 · Matt Mathers]

Reaction to Raab bullying probe will discourage future complaint, IfG chief says

Rishi Sunak and Dominic Raab’s response to the report into bullying accusations against the former deputy prime minister has made future civil service complaints more difficult, according to a think tank chief.

Hannah White, director of the Institute for Government (IfG), said “no civil servant would feel encouraged to speak out in future” and called the episode a missed opportunity for the prime minister to reinforce standards.

Full report:

[22 April 2023 17:00 · Matt Mathers]

Meet Sunak’s new deputy PM: comprehensive kid known as ‘Olive’ who was compared to Tony Blair’s attack dog Alastair Campbell

Some in the Conservative Party are calling it an “Olive branch”.

Rishi Sunak has sought to restore order after the resignation of his deputy prime minister in a bullying scandal by calling on one of his closest allies in politics.

Oliver Dowden – affectionately known as Olive to his Tory friends – is the prime minister’s new deputy, appointed just hours after Dominic Raab quit the cabinet.

Full report: