‘I have behaved professionally at all times,’ Dominic Raab says as he faces bullying complaints
10 February 2023, 13:02 | Updated: 10 February 2023, 13:12
Dominic Raab has defended his behaviour in the work place insisting he has "high standards" despite facing an investigation into a string of bullying allegation.
The deputy prime minister denied the allegations, telling The Telegraph he has “behaved professionally at all times”.
He said: “I think standards of professionalism, whether they’re in the business sector, the voluntary sector or the public sector, should involve setting high standards and zero bullying, and those two things are perfectly reconcilable.
“I will engage with the inquiry, and of course I would not want to say anything that prejudiced it.”
Read more: Boris Johnson's former adviser brands Dominic Raab 'robust' but refuses to label him a 'bully'
Mr Raab is being investigated by senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC over dozens of bullying allegations.
Eight formal complaints have reportedly been lodged including six from his time at the Ministry of Justice, one at the Foreign Office and from the then Brexit department.
Ex-civil servant: Impossible PM didn't know about Raab allegations
Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union, which represents senior civil servants, has called on Mr Raab to cease commenting in public about the case.
He said the union needs the inquiry to conclude as quickly as possible.
He added: “While these allegations are hanging over him, he is still serving as a minister, there are still concerns about someone who conducts themselves potentially in that way still being in charge of civil servants."
The FDA Union, Labour and the Liberal Democrats have all backed for calls for suspension.
But the prime minister has said he will wait for the outcome of the inquiry before taking action.
The complaints about Mr Raab go back as far as 2016 when anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller claims he “launched into an abusive attack” on her.
"I can't make up my mind if you're naive, got too much money or just stupid," she claimed he told her, in an article for the Independent.
A source close to Mr Raab, who denies bullying staff, claimed her account was "baseless" and "timed to jump on a political bandwagon and give Gina Miller the publicity she craves".
