Dominic Raab news – live: Sunak to hire independent investigator to probe bullying claims

Downing Street says PM still has confidence in his deputy amid mounting bullying claims

Full exchange: Angela Rayner grills Dominic Raab over bullying complaints at PMQs

Rishi Sunak will appoint an “independent investigator” to examine complaints made by staff who worked for Dominic Raab, but is unable to say when the probe will start.

Work is underway to find a person with “requisite experience” – in the absence of a permanent ethics adviser, after Boris Johnson failed to fill the role, No 10 said.

But a spokeswoman could not say the investigation will start by Christmas, saying: “I’m not going to put a date on it”.

Earlier, Mr Raab accused Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner of “bluster and mudslinging” as she challenged him on the bullying allegations at Prime Minister’s Questions.

Just hours before the session the justice secretary and deputy PM confirmed that he was at the centre of two formal complaints.

One of the complaints relates to the cabinet minister’s time as foreign secretary, a role he held from 2019 to 2021, while the other relates to his first spell as justice secretary from 2021 to 2022.

Key points

• Sunak to hire independent investigator to probe bullying claims
• Raab accuses Rayner of ‘bluster and mudslinging'
• Raab hit with formal complaints ahead of PMQs
• Economic situation at home ‘number one priority’, Sunak says
• UK inflation jumps to new 40-year high of 11.1 per cent
• Lifting of cap on bankers’ bonuses expected in chancellor’s autumn budget

[16 November 2022 11:23 · Matt Mathers]

MoJ complaint ‘first raised by officials in spring’

Dominic Raab has said that two complaints have been made against him - one from his previous stint at the Ministry of Justice and the other from his time as foreign secretary.

According to The Guardian’s politics editor Pippa Crerar the MoJ complaint was “first made by [a] group of mid-ranking policy officials in Spring  but has been revived by individuals in light of recent allegations.”

Insiders said the department’s permanent secretary “acted on” the complaint at the time by speaking to Mr Raab, Ms Crerar adds.

[16 November 2022 11:09 · Matt Mathers]

Sunak: ‘Right’ that complaints are investigated

Rishi Sunak has accepted a request from Dominic Raab to be independently investigated after the justice secretary confirmed two complaints had been made against him amid claims that he bullied staff.

The prime minister thanked his deputy for his letter, saying “I know you will be keen to address the complaints made against you”.

(Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

Mr Sunak added he agreed that “proceeding in this way is the right course of action.”

“Integrity, professionalism and accountability are core values of this Government,” he went on. “It is right that these matters are investigated fully”.

[16 November 2022 11:05 · Matt Mathers]

10 million in ‘missing middle’ face bills crisis without support - think tank

Over 10 million people will be left facing financial crisis over energy bills if Treasury support for bills is restricted to people in the benefits and pension system, new research from a cross-party think-tank reveals today.

The Social Market Foundation calculated that 4.5 million households who face spending more than 10 per cent of their income (after housing costs) on energy bills will miss out on help if government support is limited to homes where people get benefits or the state pension from April.

Meanwhile, another 5 million homes – a significant proportion of them pensioner households – would get government payments even though their energy bills will be less than that 10 per cent threshold.

[16 November 2022 10:50 · Matt Mathers]

Rishi Sunak denies Brexit to blame for UK’s economic woes

Rishi Sunak has effectively denied that Brexit is to blame for the UK’s economic difficulties, despite increasing evidence that EU withdrawal has resulted in a reduction in trade with Britain’s closest partners.

The prime minister instead pointed the finger of blame at the Covid pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

While admitting that all countries have “idiosyncratic” factors affecting their growth, Sunak was unwilling at a press conference in Indonesia to concede that Brexit played this part in adding to the UK’s economic woes.

Our politics editor Andrew Woodcock has more below:

[16 November 2022 10:27 · Matt Mathers]

Raab: I look forward to addressing complaints and continuing in government

As we’ve been reporting, Dominic Raab has confirmed that two complaints have been submitted against him amid claims that he has bullied staff.

The deputy PM and justice secretary said he “looks forward to addressing these complaints, and continuing to serve you (Rishi Sunak) as Deputy Prime Minister, Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor”.

You can read his letter in full here:

[16 November 2022 10:15 · Matt Mathers]

Breaking: Two official bullying complaints filed against deputy prime minister

Two official bullying complaints have been filed against Dominic Raab over his behaviour at work, he has confirmed.

The deputy prime minister has been accused of losing his temper and throwing food across the room, with civil servants too afraid to enter his office.

Our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports:

[16 November 2022 10:15 · Matt Mathers]

Savers to be squeezed in Hunt’s mini-Budget

Savers are set to be squeezed in tomorrow’s mini-Budget as chancellor Jeremy Hunt seeks to repair the public finances.

Tax-free allowances for ISAs and other saving products will be frozen when Mr Hunt outlines his plans to MPs in the Commons tomorrow, the Daily Mail reports.

(PA)

The news came as inflation soared to 11.1 per cent last month - higher than experts had been expecting.

In a statement after the figures were published the chancellor said “tough but necessary decisions on tax and spending to help balance the

books"

[16 November 2022 10:00 · Matt Mathers]

NHS at risking of ‘withering’ away, union boss says

The NHS is at risk of “withering away” without more funding, a union boss has said.

Andy Prendergast, the GMB union secretary, said members are seeing the health services “get worse and worse”.

His comments come after nurses voted for strike action for the first time ever in an ongoing row over pay and conditions.

Nurses are calling for a 17 per cent pay rise.

Steve Barclay, the health secretary, described those demands as unreasonable but has said that his door “remains open” for negotiations.

Waiting lists for hospital treatment high record levels last week.

[16 November 2022 09:45 · Matt Mathers]

Inflation figures ‘deeply worrying’ - Labour

Figures showing inflation soared to 11.1 per cent last month are “deeply worrying”, Labour has said.

Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow work and pensions secretary, claimed the UK was less able to “weather these storms” due to what he described as “12 years of lackluster economic performance” under the Conservative Party.

More comments from Mr Ashworth below:

[16 November 2022 09:33 · Zoe Tidman]

Sunak ‘filled with optimism about our ability to do more trade with the US'

Rishi Sunak said he and Joe Biden “didn’t discuss the trade deal in particular” but “we did discuss our economic partnership”.

“Both of us acknowledged the fact that, actually, the United States is our single largest trading partner and there’s a range of economic co-operation that is happening, and can continue to happen in the future.

“We talked about energy, for example, and how we can work together to improve energy security at a time when we’re all wanting to have more of that at home.

“So I am filled with optimism about our ability to do more trade with the US, to deepen our economic relationship but that that can happen in lots of different ways.”

PA