UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab quits after bullying investigation

Dominic Raab said he would resign if the complaints were upheld but said the inquiry set a dangerous precedent by "setting the threshold for bullying so low". Photo / AP

British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab resigned on Friday after an independent investigation found he bullied civil servants.

Raab’s announcement came the day after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak received findings into eight formal complaints that Raab, who is also Justice Secretary, had been abusive toward staff members during a previous stint in that office and while serving as Britain’s Foreign Secretary and Brexit Secretary.

Raab, 49, denied claims he belittled and demeaned his staff and said he “behaved professionally at all times,” but had said he would resign if the bullying complaints were upheld.

Dominic Raab, the Deputy Prime Minister (left) leaves 10 Downing Street . Photo / AP

The investigation made two findings of bullying against him and dismissed the others, Raab said in his resignation letter. But he called the findings “flawed” and said the inquiry “set a dangerous precedent” by “setting the threshold for bullying so low”.

He said he quit because he was “duty bound” to resign since he had promised to.

The resignation spares Sunak from having to determine the fate of his top deputy.

The Prime Minister received the investigation report on Thursday morning and was carefully considering the findings but didn’t immediately make a decision, spokesman Max Blain said.

The case presented a conundrum for Sunak: Fire Raab and open himself to criticism for hiring him in the first place, or keep him in the job and be criticised for failing to follow through on his promise to restore integrity to the Conservative Government.

The report is the latest ethics headache for Sunak, who vowed to restore order and integrity to the Government after three years of instability under predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss. Multiple scandals brought Johnson down in last year’s northern summer, and Truss quit in October after six weeks in office when her tax-cutting economic plans sparked mayhem on the financial markets.

A spokesman says Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is reviewing a report about whether Dominic Raab (above) bullied civil servants. Photo / AP

But Sunak has struggled to shake off opposition allegations that the Conservative Government remains mired in scandal and sleaze.

Raab was elected to Parliament in 2010 and unsuccessfully sought to become Conservative Party leader in 2019 before throwing his support behind Johnson. Appointed Deputy Prime Minister under Johnson, he briefly took charge of the Government when Johnson was hospitalised with Covid-19 in April 2020.