Raab ready to 'fight to the death' as PM mulls whether to fire him

D-Day for Dom: Raab prepares to ‘fight to the death’ to save political career as Rishi Sunak mulls whether to fire or save deputy prime minister TODAY after receiving bullying probe report

• Prime Minister was expected to make swift decision but report was not clear cut
• Dave Penman was critical of the time it was taking for Sunak to reach a decision 

Rishi Sunak is continuing to deliberate over whether to sack his deputy Dominic Raab today, more than a day after receiving a report into allegations he bullied civil servants.

The Prime Minister received the conclusions of Adam Tolley KC’s investigation into bullying claims yesterday, but has now spent more than 24 hours considering what to do.

The investigation into Mr Raab includes eight formal complaints about his behaviour as foreign secretary, Brexit secretary and during his first stint as justice secretary.

The former Brexit secretary is prepared to ‘fight to the death’ to save his job and career, friends have said.

Amid criticism over the time taken to come to a decision, Transport Secretary Mark Harper today defended the PM. 

He told BBC Breakfast: ‘I think actually that’s the fair thing to do both for the complainants, who made some serious complaints, but also for Dominic Raab.

‘I think for both sides in this the Prime Minister should take the time.’

Rishi Sunak was agonising over whether to sack Dominic Raab last night after receiving a long-awaited report into allegations of bullying

The investigation into Mr Raab includes eight formal complaints about his behaviour as foreign secretary, Brexit secretary and during his first stint as justice secretary

Amid criticism over the time taken to come to a decision, Transport Secretary Mark Harper today defended the PM.

But a Labour frontbencher suggested Mr Raab has a ‘case to answer’ on bullying claims because a decision to keep him in place has not already been made.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: ‘It certainly tells us that there’s a case to answer and this isn’t a clear-cut decision for Dominic Raab.

‘Rishi Sunak appointed him despite knowing these allegations were in the air, and why does Rishi Sunak do this, well we can see with the case of the Home Secretary too – he’s too weak to stand up to his own party and the right of his own party in particular.

‘Rishi Sunak has been holed up in Downing Street reading the report and he’s got no one to blame… He knew these allegations were in the air when he appointed Dominic Raab as Deputy Prime Minister and he has got form for weakness in appointing people to the highest offices who are not fit to hold them.’

Allies of Mr Raab said ‘he’ll fight to the death’, claiming Mr Sunak’s delay in making a decision suggested there were ‘grey areas’ and the report was not ‘cut and dried’. 

Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union, was critical of the time it was taking for Mr Sunak to reach a decision on whether to remove Mr Raab from Government, calling the delay a ‘farce’.

Downing Street promised the Prime Minister would reach a decision ‘swiftly’ but it appeared unlikely to be made within 24 hours of him receiving Mr Tolley’s submitted investigation.

‘Imagine being a civil servant who has been brave enough to raise a complaint against the Deputy Prime Minister, sitting in a government department and you’re watching this farce play out live on television, not knowing what your fate is going to be about the complaints you have raised,’ Mr Penman said. 

‘No-one knows what is going to happen now, there are no rules associated with any investigation, there are no rights for anyone who raises a complaint.’ 

He added: ‘It feels like almost every week there is an issue with sleaze and scandal where Rishi Sunak is either implicated himself or too weak to get to grips with it.

‘People are crying out for a Government that will just get on with tackling the issues that matter, not focused on saving their own skin.’

Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union, was critical of the time it was taking for Mr Sunak to reach a decision on whether to remove Mr Raab from Government, calling the delay a ‘farce’

A No10 insider said: ‘It is a detailed report. The Prime Minister wants to consider the findings thoroughly.’ 

Mr Sunak’s official spokesman said his previous expression of having ‘full confidence’ in Mr Raab still stands, commenting that ‘obviously he’s carefully considering the findings of the report before coming to a judgement’.  

Mr Raab promised to quit if found definitely to have bullied staff. 

Mr Sunak was tonight consulting senior advisers on whether to keep faith with his deputy or fire him and trigger a reshuffle.

Cabinet Secretary Simon Case and the PM’s ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus are among those thought to be providing advice.

Mr Raab has read the report and does not consider it a resigning issue, leaving the PM to decide his fate.

He had pledged to quit if Mr Tolley’s investigation upheld the claims against him. Sources said he did not discuss the findings of the report with the Prime Minister today.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner accused Mr Sunak of ‘dither and delay’, but a No 10 source said the PM was ‘taking time to go through the report thoroughly’.

The Deputy Prime Minister is facing a string of historic complaints from officials, who claim they felt bullied by his overbearing manner.

He strongly disputes the allegations, saying he has ‘behaved professionally throughout’ his career in Government.

Friends say he will ‘come out swinging’ if he is cleared by Mr Sunak today. One predicted the report would include ‘striking’ revelations in his favour.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner (pictured) accused Mr Sunak of ‘dither and delay’, but a No 10 source said the PM was ‘taking time to go through the report thoroughly’.

Former Cabinet minister David Davis, who once employed Mr Raab as his chief of staff, has said his hard-working approach was always likely to clash with the increasingly ‘millennial’ mindset of the civil service.

‘He takes his job very seriously, he works incredibly hard, he expects the same of others and he has a fairly no-nonsense style,’ Mr Davis said.

READ MORE: Moment of truth looms for Dominic Raab: Rishi Sunak has received bullying report and is ‘carefully considering’ the findings as Tories urge PM to defend his deputy over disputed claims

‘That’s liable to run slap-bang into a lot of millennial problems – lower expectations of work. Whitehall these days falls down on the job all the time.

‘It was made worse by Covid and the work-from-home culture, and I can just imagine how Dominic would have run straight into that – and wouldn’t have given it any leeway at all.’

But former civil service chief Lord Kerslake said that the behaviour of ministers ‘is expected to be higher’.

He told LBC Radio: ‘We must get away from the idea that this is somehow a product of millennial snowflakes not able to take the heat.’

Mr Sunak’s official spokesman told reporters this morning: ‘The Prime Minister has received the report. He is considering those findings. I’m not going to be commenting further while that process is ongoing.’

Asked if Mr Sunak still had confidence in Mr Raab, the spokesman said: ‘The PM is carefully considering the findings of the report. I’ve said he has full confidence in the [Deputy] PM before, that still stands.’

Mr Raab is facing eight formal complaints about his conduct at different departments, with dozens of officials said to have given evidence against him. He has funded his own legal team to work on his defence.

Mr Raab (pictured) is facing eight formal complaints about his conduct at different departments

Former Cabinet minister David Davis (pictured), who once employed Mr Raab as his chief of staff, has said his hard-working approach was always likely to clash with the increasingly ‘millennial’ mindset of the civil service.

Some officials claim to have been left in tears by his allegedly overbearing and demanding manner. He has denied being a bully, and has said ministers have the right to ‘directly challenge’ officials.

Friends of Mr Raab acknowledge he can be a ‘tough’ boss but insist he has never crossed the line into bullying. They warn he has been the target of a ‘politically motivated’ bid by disgruntled civil servants.

Senior officials at the Ministry of Justice briefed The Guardian that they would resign if Mr Raab is cleared to continue at the department. 

READ MORE: ‘I’m confident I have behaved professionally’: Dominic Raab vows to ‘engage’ with public inquiry over bullying claims

One said: ‘If he stays in the department, senior people will want to walk.’

But a Tory source said the ‘ultimatum’ by senior civil servants would help Mr Raab’s cause.

‘It’s completely counter- productive – what sort of message does it send out if the PM gives in to threats like this from officials?’ the source said.

Mr Raab is prized by the PM for his loyalty. During last summer’s Tory leadership campaign he served as an attack dog, branding Liz Truss’s approach ‘electoral suicide’ and sticking with Mr Sunak long after it became clear he was going to lose.

But No 10 has drawn up contingency plans for a snap reshuffle today if the report is deemed to uphold the bullying claims against him.

Sources suggested the PM would appoint a minister from outside the Cabinet to replace him as Justice Secretary in order to avoid the need for a wider reshuffle.

Treasury minister Victoria Atkins and defence minister Alex Chalk are among those tipped for the role.

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