The Observer view on Dominic Raab’s resignation and bullying in Westminster
Until Rishi Sunak and all party leaders value integrity above loyalty, the Commons will continue to be a toxic place to work.
Bullying should never be tolerated in the workplace. While there is no legal definition, bullying is generally understood as a pattern of intimidating or offensive behaviour that undermines or denigrates the person experiencing it. It can have pernicious impacts on their physical health and mental wellbeing, and undermines performance at work. So it is absolutely right that the deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab, resigned from the cabinet after an independent investigation found he had bullied civil servants in the Foreign Office and Ministry of Justice. But the manner of Raab’s resignation, and the way it was accepted by the prime minister, raises serious questions about the government’s commitment to improving the workplace culture across Whitehall.
The investigation was carried out by Adam Tolley KC after formal complaints were made by civil servants about Raab’s conduct while foreign and justice secretary. Because Tolley undertook to protect the anonymity of the civil servants who made the complaints, his report contains limited details of his investigation. But Tolley found that Raab acted in a way that was intimidating by way of “unreasonably and persistently aggressive conduct”, and that he introduced “an unwarranted punitive element”. His conduct was inevitably experienced as undermining or humiliating by the official in question. He referred to the civil service code in a meeting in a way that could be understood as suggesting that those in the meeting had breached their employment contracts, conveying “a sense of unspecified disciplinary action”. He also acted in an intimidating manner through providing unconstructive critical feedback. Tolley also found that the civil servants who came forward to complain were acting in good faith and were “sincere and committed, with no ulterior agenda”. He said several had suffered stress and anxiety that they believed was related to Raab’s conduct, and he praised junior civil servants for their courage in coming forward.
Tolley notes that Raab’s conduct has improved since his investigation started. But Raab’s reaction to the report shows why he had to go. He has not accepted any wrongdoing following the investigation, or offered any apology for his behaviour, although he has expressed regret about the impact it had on individuals. His resignation letter lacked any contrition; and he has ludicrously claimed that the investigation was a “Kafkaesque saga” for which the British people will “pay the price”. Despite Tolley’s findings about the integrity of those who came forward, Raab has claimed that the civil service is undermined by “very activist civil servants” who are “effectively trying to block the government”, leaving the implication hanging that he is the victim. In doing so he is actively undermining trust in the civil service.
Rishi Sunak’s response to Raab’s resignation has also left much to be desired. He made no judgment on the investigation’s findings, simply accepting Raab’s resignation while praising his record in government. The message it sends is that the prime minister has nothing to say when one of his ministers has been found to have bullied civil servants. It seriously undermines Sunak’s claim that he is committed to leading a government of “integrity, professionalism and accountability”. Raab is the third senior minister to be forced out of Sunak’s cabinet in the first six months of his premiership: Gavin Williamson resigned last year over allegations he had told a civil servant to “slit your throat”, and Nadhim Zahawi was sacked in January as a result of failing to declare that the HMRC were investigating his tax affairs. Sunak reportedly knew about the allegations hanging over these three men when he appointed them.
Raab’s behaviour is not an isolated incident: several reports have highlighted that bullying and harassment are common across Westminster and Whitehall. In 2018, Dame Laura Cox concluded there were toxic working cultures in parliament, with some MPs behaving in appalling ways to junior staff. An independent inquiry into the behaviour of former Commons speaker John Bercow – who had ultimate responsibility for its working culture – found he was a “serial bully” and that his behaviour towards staff was so bad he would have been suspended from parliament if he were still an MP. Former home secretary Priti Patel was found in 2020 to have bullied civil servants but faced no consequences after Boris Johnson defended her.
That Sunak appointed three ministers who he knew faced serious allegations about their conduct implies that he values loyalty over integrity. And Raab is no loss to government: as foreign secretary he is best known for remaining on holiday while the Taliban took Kabul and allegedly putting lives at risk by refusing to review documents until they were formatted differently; as justice secretary, he has overseen huge court backlogs and a failing probation system.
Bullying in politics is not a problem limited to one party. Sunak’s failure to hold his ministers to acceptable standards of behaviour that should be expected in any modern workplace is simply the latest example of senior politicians making allowances for their friends. Bullying will remain a serious issue in Westminster and Whitehall until those at the top of political parties resolve to put the welfare of employees above their personal political allegiances.
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