Under fire Raab denies swearing and shouting at civil servant as PM accused of ignoring bullying allegations
2 February 2023, 00:07 | Updated: 2 February 2023, 06:13
Dominic Raab has denied claims he shouted and swore at civil servants in a meeting after it was alleged he stood up and shouted "bulls***" after a briefing.
Justice Secretary Raab maintains he has "behaved professionally" as he faces an investigation over bullying complaints.
It comes after reports the Prime Minister knew about Mr Raab's conduct when he re-appointed him to the cabinet in October.
A spokesperson for Mr Sunak said: "The PM was not aware of any formal complaints at the time of appointing Dominic Raab."
At least 24 civil servants are said to be involved in the bullying complaints that stand against Mr Raab.
The investigation into his conduct is said to be primarily focused on whether the justice secretary realised the effect of his behaviour on his staff.
It is believed this determine Mr Raab's future.
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Announcing the investigation into the bullying claims in December, Mr Sunak's spokesperson said: "I can confirm that the Prime Minister has now asked the investigator to include five further formal complaints relating to conduct at the Ministry of Justice as part of the ongoing investigation and in line with the existing terms of reference."
Asked how Mr Raab can remain in the role considering the breadth of the allegations, the spokesman said: "We think it's right there is an independent process, that the investigator looks into these claims thoroughly before coming to a view."
Mr Sunak has come under increasing pressure to review Mr Raab's position in the wake of the Nadhim Zahawi tax scandal, which saw the Conservative party chairman sacked on Sunday.
A source close to Mr Raab previously said: "There is zero tolerance for bullying across the civil service. The deputy prime minister leads a professional department, driving forward major reforms, where civil servants are valued and the level of ambition is high."
Jacob Rees-Mogg has come under fire in the row over the allegations levied towards Mr Raab after he said "we musn't be too snowflakey" about bullying.
He told Sky News: “We have to be slightly careful around the bullying allegations but also we mustn’t be too snowflakey about it.”
“People need to be able to say ‘this job has not been done well enough and needs to be done better’,” he said.
