Third of ministers’ staff allege bullying in MoJ office, reports suggest

Allegations of mistreatment lodged by 10 of 33 Ministry of Justice staff members

A third of staff in Dominic Raab’s and junior ministers’ private offices have alleged to have been bullied or harassed while working at the Ministry of Justice in the past year, according to reports.

A leaked civil service survey apparently shows that 10 out of 33 MoJ staff members, who worked most intimately with ministers, said they were subject to mistreatment.

The results of this week’s survey come after five further formal complaints were filed against Mr Raab over his behaviour at work, bringing the total number to eight, Downing Street confirmed.

The leaked figures, seen by The Guardian, represent 30 per cent of the total number of officials working in the private offices – more than four times the 7 per cent that have lodged formal complaints against Mr Raab’s conduct.

The MoJ private office directorate is made up of a patchwork of junior ministers, the permanent secretary and others.

The figures submitted to the leaked survey from the private office are especially stark when compared to the rest of the MoJ. Across the board, 8 per cent of officials are alleged to have been bullied or harassed while at work over both years, while figures from the civil service as a whole was 7 per cent, the newspaper reports.

The survey is anonymous, meaning those who claim to have witnessed bullying in the office are not identifiable. It is completed by all MoJ staff in September and October each year.

The latest five complaints relate to alleged behaviour at the MoJ, which Mr Raab has run since September 2021.

Speaking on Wednesday afternoon, the prime minister’s official spokesperson told reporters: “I can confirm that the prime minister has now asked the investigator to include five further formal complaints relating to conduct at the Ministry of Justice as part of the ongoing investigation and in line with the existing terms of reference.”

In November, Downing Street confirmed it was opening an inquiry into Mr Raab’s alleged behaviour, following media reports about his conduct.

It initially covered two incidents, but was widened to three later in the same week it launched.

No 10 said the five new incidents were alleged to have taken place during Mr Raab’s first spell as justice secretary from September 2021 to September 2022. He was briefly replaced in the role by Liz Truss but was reappointed by Mr Sunak.

Mr Raab has insisted he has “behaved professionally at all times”. Speaking later on Wednesday Mr Raab told the Joint Committee on Human Rights: “I’ve been clear on the claims made with regard to myself. I believe I’ve behaved professionally throughout.

“But, of course, I welcome, indeed, I called for an independent investigation so that I could deal with them transparently, not through the tittle tattle that’s anonymously leaked to the media.”