Dominic Raab ‘values’ civil servants, Ministry of Justice insists amid bullying claims
Dominic Raab “values” civil servants in his department, the Ministry of Justice has insisted, after bullying claims have emerged against him.
Mr Raab was reappointed as justice secretary and deputy prime minister by Rishi Sunak last month, having held the roles between September 2021 and September 2022 under Boris Johnson, but having been sacked by Liz Truss for her short tenure in office.
However, his return to the MoJ was not welcomed by some, according to the Guardian, which said around 15 senior civil servants in his private office were offered “respite or a route out” due to concerns some were still traumatised from his previous tenure.
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Sources said department chiefs held a meeting with the group and acknowledged Mr Raab’s reappointment could cause them anxiety, with some staff members in tears and choosing to move on.
However, the paper also cited sources suggesting a couple of staff members have since returned.
Multiple MoJ sources also said he had previously created a “culture of fear” in the department, alleging he was “demeaning rather than demanding” with civil servants, and that he was “very rude and aggressive”, adding: “[He] wasn’t just unprofessional, he was a bully”.
The newspaper also claimed the permanent secretary, Antonia Romeo, warned Mr Raab to treat staff with respect on his return, with one source, who was not in the room at the time, saying she had “read him the riot act”.
Asked for a response to the allegations, an MoJ spokesperson 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.”
A source in the department also told Sky News they would deny any suggestion of bullying, saying Mr Raab “prides himself on his professionalism and has a good working relationship with the officials who he rates very highly”.
They also said he had been a minister in multiple government departments for many years and had never faced a formal complaint.
Calls for investigation
The allegations come days after former cabinet minister Gavin Williamson resigned from government after facing multiple bullying accusations, and also as questions remain over the re-hiring of Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who was brought back onto the frontbench six days after committing a security breach and breaking the ministerial code.
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner called the claims made against Mr Raab “deeply troubling” and said they raised “yet more questions about Rishi Sunak’s judgement”.
She added: “With each new scandal and grubby deal, it becomes more obvious that he is a weak leader, who puts party management before the national interest.
“He claimed zero tolerance for bullying, promised a government of integrity and pledged to urgently appoint an ethics adviser, yet is falling far short on every promise. Rishi Sunak is already showing he is not just failing to stop the rot but letting it fester.”
She joined calls by the Liberal Democrats for an investigation into the allegations against Mr Raab.
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “These latest reports cannot be brushed under the carpet by Rishi Sunak. He must launch an investigation into Raab with immediate effect.
“No staff, whether in the civil service or any other sector, should be subjected to working with or for a bully.”
But colleagues who worked under the justice secretary elsewhere leapt to his defence, with Tory MP Eddie Hughes said: “When I got my first job as his PPS (parliamentary private secretary), I was told Dom was demanding. ‘He’s very hard working and expects others to be too’. I was delighted. I wanted to work for someone who took their role seriously.
“We got on great from the start. Never saw him be rude to anyone.”
Another Conservative Rachel Maclean replied to Mr Huges tweet, saying: “Neither did I when I worked with him on joint projects when I was in the Home Office. He has high standards which are needed to deliver for the British people.”
An international manhunt is under way for the husband of a murdered woman, whose body was found in the boot of a car.
The body of Harshita Brella was found in east London on Thursday, tens of miles away from her home in Corby.
On Sunday, Northamptonshire Police said they were looking for Pankaj Lamba – who they believe has left the country.
Sky News understands she had been under the protection of a court order designed for victims of domestic abuse.
“Our inquiries lead us to suspect that Harshita was murdered in Northamptonshire earlier this month by her husband Pankaj Lamba,” said chief inspector Paul Cash.
“We suspect Lamba transported Harshita’s body from Northamptonshire to Ilford by car.”
“Fast track” enquires were made after the force was contacted on Wednesday by someone concerned about Ms Brella’s welfare. After she failed to answer the door at her home in Skegness Walk, Corby, a missing person investigation was launched.
Her body was found inside the boot of a vehicle in Brisbane Road in the Ilford in the early hours of Thursday morning.
A post mortem – conducted at Leicester Royal Infirmary on Friday – established she had been murdered.
Harshita Brella, 24, from Corby. Her body was found in a car in east London. Pic: Northamptonshire Police
More than 60 detectives are working on the case, with lines of enquiry including going house to house and property searches, as well as looking at CCTV and ANPR.
“We are of course continuing to appeal for any information that will help us piece together exactly what happened as we work to get justice for Harshita,” said chief inspector Cash.
“I urge anyone listening to or reading this statement, that if you saw anything suspicious in the past week or have any information, no matter how small, please contact us. We would always rather receive well-meaning information that turns out to be nothing as opposed to not receiving it all.”
Pankaj Lamba. Pic: Northamptonshire Police
Force referred to police watchdog
On Saturday, Northamptonshire Police said it had made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to previous contact between the force and the victim.
Northamptonshire Police previously said officers had been conducting investigations at three locations: Skegness Walk and Sturton Walk in Corby and Brisbane Road, Ilford, where Ms Brella’s body was found.
East Midlands Special Operations Major Crime Unit (EMSOU) and Northamptonshire Police said they were working “around the clock to establish the circumstances behind her death, including the exact location and timeframe in which it took place”.
State-of-the-art technology has been used to create a voice for King Richard III – giving him a Yorkshire accent.
A digital avatar of the medieval king’s head went on display in front of excited history fans at York Theatre Royal.
Richard III was king of England from 1483 until his death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, at the age of 32.
His remains were found in a car park in Leicester in 2012 by historian Philippa Langley.
Speaking about the recreation, she said: “We’ve got leading experts in their fields who have been working on this for 10 years and so everything has been meticulously researched, meticulously evidenced, so you are seeing the most accurate portrayal of Richard III”.
A team based at Face Lab at Liverpool John Moores University created the avatar based on the reconstruction of Richard III’s head with the help of a craniofacial expert.
His voice has been created by Professor David Crystal, a leading linguist in 15th-century pronunciation. He admitted that it’s impossible to know exactly how he spoke, but this is as close as they will get.
The king was born in Northampton but spent a lot of his life in Yorkshire. His parents were also from the north of England.
Vocal coach Yvonne Morley-Chisholm spent a decade researching how the monarch would have sounded. She worked with the actor Thomas Dennis who was chosen as his body and face were such a a good physical match.
Speaking to Sky News, she said people will be shocked at how different he sounded compared with traditional portrayals of the king on stage and screen.
The coach and actor also examined the king’s letters and diary so that “as you pronounced a word that’s how you would write it”.
Read more from Sky News:
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The voice shows the change in pronunciation over the centuries – from regional variations to the Queen’s English.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
History fans at the unveiling were delighted with the accent, with one telling Sky News: “Northerners are known to be happy, positive, all those lovely qualities.”
Born in Northampton but a northerner through and through, technology has brought the king’s speech back to life
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