A former minister has confirmed to Sky News that he had a row with Dominic Raab amid reports the deputy prime minister tried to get him sacked from cabinet.
According The Times, Mr Raab made the threat to the then-Wales Secretary Sir Robert Buckland after he wrote a piece criticising the deputy PM’s bill of rights plan – calling for the winner of the Tory leadership race to replace Boris Johnson in Number 10 to reconsider the policy.
The newspaper claimed Mr Raab told Sir Robert not to go ahead with the article or he would report him to Downing Street for breaking the ministerial code on collective cabinet responsibility.
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The paper also said Sir Robert told Rishi Sunak about Mr Raab’s “intimidating” and “unacceptable” behaviour at the time – although a source close to the prime minister denied he knew of the threat.
Speaking to Sky News, Sir Robert did not deny the story and confirmed the pair had had a “disagreement”.
But the backbencher, who also served as justice secretary under Mr Johnson, said he didn’t “want to rake over the coals of what happened” before, adding: “I’m a robust politician.”
Sky News also understands that the prime minister was aware of the argument.
It comes amid growing pressure on Mr Sunak over his appointment of Mr Raab as both his deputy and justice secretary following a number of bullying allegations against the minister.
Eight official complaints have been made against Mr Raab and the PM’s ethics adviser is carrying out an investigation.
But Mr Sunak has resisted calls to suspend him while the probe takes place, insisting he wants to follow the right “process”.
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Mr Raab has consistently denied the allegations, and there is no suggestion Sir Robert saw the incident with him as bullying.
A source close to Sir Robert pointed out that no complaints were made about him during his two years at the Ministry of Justice, “which included high-pressure challenges such as keeping prisons open during COVID”.
