Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab is being investigated over a further five complaints from his time at the Ministry of Justice.
Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said the prime minister has asked the senior lawyer conducting a bullying inquiry to look into the additional allegations.
Adam Tolley KC is now investigating eight complaints made against Mr Raab.
The latest relates to his time at the Ministry of Justice, where he is still justice secretary after being reappointed by Rishi Sunak in October. He previously held the post under Boris Johnson.
Mr Sunak’s spokesman declined to discuss which period at the department the new allegations relate to.
“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,” the official said.
Asked how Mr Raab could remain in his roles following 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.”
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He would not say when the investigation will be concluded, but said it is hoped it will be finished “swiftly”.
The three complaints already under investigation relate to Mr Raab’s time as foreign secretary (2019-2021), Brexit secretary (July-November 2018) and justice secretary.
After Mr Sunak reappointed Mr Raab as justice secretary, around 15 senior civil servants were offered “respite or a route out” due to concerns some were still traumatised from working for him, The Guardian reported.
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‘I’ve behaved professionally at all times’
Multiple sources said he created a “culture of fear” in the department and accused him of being a “bully”.
However, speaking in front of a committee of MPs this afternoon, Mr Raab said: “I believe I have behaved professionally throughout.
“But of course I welcome, indeed I called for an, investigation so that I could deal with [the complaints] transparently, not through the tittle tattle that is anonymously leaked to the media.”
Mr Sunak has said he does not “recognise that characterisation” of Mr Raab, while other top Tory MPs defended Mr Raab, saying he had high standards and was very decent.
Labour and the Lib Dems called for Mr Raab to be suspended while the allegations are investigated.
A Labour spokesman said: “It’s pretty shocking that no action has been taken against the justice secretary given the allegations that there have been.
“Unfortunately, I think this is yet again the consequence of having a weak prime minister who has shown repeatedly on these issues a lack of willingness to act.
“The idea that Dominic Raab can continue in post with no consequence whilst there are these allegations around, I think most people would find pretty surprising.”
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Raab denies throwing tomatoes
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “The trickle of allegations about Dominic Raab has turned into a flood and his position is becoming increasingly untenable.
“Rishi Sunak must ask Raab to step down as justice secretary while these complaints are investigated, and confirm he won’t be reappointed if they are upheld.
“Anything less would make a mockery of Sunak’s claim that he would govern with integrity. It can’t be one rule for Conservative ministers and another for everyone else.”
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
Image: The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
Image: The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Image: Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Image: Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
Image: The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
Image: The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.