Sunak must act swiftly on Raab – and show real leadership

Editorial: The prime minister must show, by deeds as well as words, why his is a different style of government

Dominic Raab leaves Downing Street (PA)

That it has taken so many months for the senior barrister Adam Tolley KC to conclude his investigation into the alleged bullying ways of Dominic Raab suggests that there was a great deal to investigate, with purported incidents stretching back some years to Mr Raab’s tenure at the Foreign Office and as Brexit secretary. Mr Raab has always denied the charge of bullying, but his allies have conceded that he is a hard taskmaster. Some political friends, such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, claim that Mr Raab’s critics are simply snowflakes, unable to handle themselves in the crucibles of Westminster and Whitehall.

This attempt to trivialise the complaints against Mr Raab has been proceeding for some months. It is safe to assume that Mr Tolley will not have been distracted by such talk. His job was to “establish the facts” and report to the prime minister, who is, according to Mr Tolley’s terms of reference, “the ultimate judge of the standards of behaviour expected of a minister and the appropriate consequences of a breach of those standards”. It’s worth noting the shameful fact that Mr Tolley had to carry out the work because Mr Sunak and his predecessors hadn’t appointed a replacement for the last ethics adviser, Sir Christopher Geidt, by the time an inquiry into Mr Raab had become unavoidable. Sir Christopher had quit because Mr Johnson wouldn’t let him do his job properly. It was a telling episode.

As the “ultimate judge”, Mr Sunak should act with speed and decisiveness. His verdict needs to be swift. It is difficult to see why there should be any undue delay, just as it is equally clear that Mr Raab had a formidable case to answer. It is true that Mr Raab was Mr Sunak’s leadership campaign manager, and was reappointed as deputy prime minister after the brief Truss interregnum. However, Mr Raab’s record as a minister has been indifferent, and so much so that his failures during the evacuation of Kabul forced his demotion from the Foreign Office and a return to the Ministry of Justice. Justice in the case of Mr Raab seems to be being delayed. The fact that civil servants in the Ministry of Justice have threatened to leave if Mr Raab isn’t removed complicates the decision, but also confirms that this a matter of unusual delicacy.

One bar of decency for Mr Sunak was set by his predecessor, Boris Johnson, and it was not a particularly high one. In 2020, Priti Patel, as home secretary, was also subject to multiple accusations of bullying. The then ethics adviser, Sir Alex Allan, looked into the claims and concluded that Ms Patel’s “approach on occasions has amounted to behaviour that can be described as bullying in terms of the impact felt by individuals. To that extent, her behaviour has been in breach of the ministerial code, even if unintentionally”. She had “not consistently met the high standards expected of her”.

Rather than dismiss Ms Patel, though, Mr Johnson saw fit to keep her on and ordered his colleagues, via WhatsApp, to “form a square around the prittster”. Instead, it was Sir Alex who resigned, in disgust.

A happier precedent was when Mr Sunak, in the early days of his premiership, accepted the resignation of Sir Gavin Williamson after allegations of bullying and of sending abusive messages to a fellow Tory MP. Sir Gavin said he “refuted” how his conduct had been characterised, but added that the claims were becoming a “distraction” from the government’s “good work”. That sounds very much like where Mr Raab now finds himself.

The circumstances surrounding Mr Raab are similar to Sir Gavin and Ms Patel, and the prime minister ought not fail in his own duty as Mr Johnson did before him. Mr Raab certainly deserves no more protection than did Sir Gavin or Ms Patel. Nor should he dither as he did in the case of Nadhim Zahawi. The prime minister should act. After all, it was Mr Sunak who stood in Downing Street on his first day in office and declared: “This government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level.”

Now Mr Sunak must show, by deeds as well as words, why his is a different style of government. Some of his own recent mishaps, such as the apparent failure to properly declare an interest to a parliamentary committee when prompted to do so, have not enhanced his own reputation, which is unfortunate given his evident application to the job. The charge of “sleaze” sits too easily on his party.

The ministerial code is perfectly clear: “Ministers should be professional in all their dealings and treat all those with whom they come into contact with consideration and respect… Harassing, bullying or other inappropriate or discriminating behaviour wherever it takes place is not consistent with the ministerial code and will not be tolerated.”

Mr Raab may well have fallen short of that, but there is a wider, societal factor at work. Whatever may have been tolerated in the past, the world has moved on in its attitude to bullying, just as it has to discrimination and much else.

Behaviour that would have been considered unremarkable decades ago, is now a sacking offence, if not illegal. Bullying has not yet been given a legal definition, but every organisation with a claim to social responsibility has a code of conduct that punishes those who feel entitled to abuse their position of power. Even so, unfortunately, too much bullying still goes on, and the impact on individuals can be as profound as a physical assault, something that usually results in instant dismissal for the perpetrator. It is, then, so much more important for someone in Mr Sunak’s position to set an example of humanity and good practice in the workplace.

There is no reason, legal or moral, why politicians should be excused from the standards of behaviour expected of them, and indeed which form part of their duty of office. The reported volume and variety of complaints about all kinds of personal behaviours made to the parliamentary commissioner for standards suggests that Westminster, or “Pestminster”, has a broader problem with personal morality.

With Mr Raab, Mr Sunak has an opportunity to show leadership, do the right thing and redeem his administration. As he declared when he came to power: “Trust is earned. And I will earn yours.”