Dominic Raab resigns after two bullying complaints against him are upheld
Dominic Raab has resigned after he was found to have bullied staff members while working as a cabinet minister across different departments.
A report from independent investigator Adam Tolley said two complaints against him had been upheld, concluding the deputy prime minister and justice secretary had “acted in a way which was intimidating”, and had been “unreasonably and persistently aggressive” in meetings.
The findings also said his conduct “involved an abuse or misuse of power in a way that undermines or humiliates”.
But in a resignation letter posted on Twitter, Mr Raab took issue with the report, calling the inquiry “flawed” and claiming the conclusions “set a dangerous precedent for the conduct of good government”.
Politics live: Raab ‘keeps word’ and quits
The news comes after Rishi Sunak was presented with an official report into Mr Raab’s behaviour on Thursday.
In his letter, Mr Sunak said he accepted his deputy’s resignation “with great sadness”, saying it “should not make us forget your record of delivery in both this government and previous administrations”.
And the PM said there had been “shortcomings in the historic process that have negatively affected everyone involved”, adding: “We should learn from this how to better handle such matters in future”.
Dominic Raab resignation letter
But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the situation showed “the continual weakness of the prime minister”, adding: “He should never have appointed [Mr Raab] in the first place… and then he didn’t sack him.
“It is that decision and that weakness I think that goes to the heart, not just of this prime minister, but of the 13 years now of [Conservative] failure and it is why people desperately want a change.”
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats called for Mr Raab to resign as an MP and for a by-election to be held in his seat, saying he had shown “he is not only unfit to serve as a minister, but is totally unfit to represent his constituents in parliament”.
Rishi Sunak letter to Dominic Raab
The 48-page report from Mr Tolley said there had been eight formal complaints against Mr Raab from across his time as justice secretary, foreign secretary and Brexit secretary.
A total of 66 interviews were carried out over the five months – including four with the minister himself – and 44 written contributions were given to the investigator.
In one of the complaints, upheld from his time at the Foreign Office, Mr Tolley concluded the minister had “acted in a way which was intimidating, in the sense of unreasonably and persistently aggressive in the context of a workplace meeting”.
He said Mr Raab’s conduct “also involved an abuse or misuse of power in a way that undermines or humiliates”, adding: “In particular, he went beyond what was reasonably necessary in order to give effect to his decision and introduced a punitive element.
“His conduct was bound to be experienced as undermining or humiliating by the affected individual, and it was so experienced. I infer that [Mr Raab] must have been aware of this effect; at the very least, he ought reasonably to have been so aware.”
The minister also used “a form of intimidating behaviour in the sense of conveying a threat of unspecified disciplinary action” at a member of staff.
And he was criticised over his “use of physical gestures”, including “extending his hand directly out towards another person’s face with a view to making them stop talking” and “loud banging of the table to make a point”.
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‘Downing Street had to weigh up difficult judgements.’
The second complaint came from his time at the Ministry of Justice, and Mr Tolley concluded Mr Raab “acted in a manner which was intimidating, in the sense of going further than was necessary or appropriate in delivering critical feedback and also insulting, in the sense of making unconstructive critical comments about the quality of work done (whether or not as a matter of substance any criticism was justified)”.
Examples included “unfairly personal criticism” of officials who didn’t answer his questions in meetings, and making comments about staff “frustrating his policy objectives” that left them feeling “insulted” – using phrases like “utterly useless” and “woeful”.
The investigator said Mr Raab “did not intend by the conduct described to upset or humiliate” or “target anyone for a specific type of treatment”, but “he did not always have in mind the impact of his approach at the level of the individual who was affected by it” and “ought to have realised earlier that some individuals would find it difficult to cope with his style and should have adjusted his behaviour accordingly”.
In his conclusions, Mr Tolley said: “The [deputy prime minister] has been able to regulate this level of ‘abrasiveness’ since the announcement of the investigation. He should have altered his approach earlier.”
But in an article published in the Telegraph shortly after his ousting, Mr Raab hit back at the findings and described the probe as “a Kafkaesque saga”.
In his resignation letter, the outgoing minister wrote: “I called for the inquiry and undertook to resign, if it made any finding of bullying whatsoever. I believe it is important to keep my word.”
But he said the report showed he had “not once, in four and a half years, sworn or shouted at anyone, let alone thrown anything or otherwise physically intimidated anyone, nor intentionally sought to belittle anyone”.
Mr Raab claimed the inquiry had set “the threshold for bullying so low” that it had “set a dangerous precedent”.
He added: “I am genuinely sorry for any unintended stress or offence that any officials felt, as a result of the pace, standards and challenge that I brought to the Ministry of Justice.
“That is, however, what the public expect of ministers working on their behalf.”
In his newspaper article, Mr Raab gave his own account of the complaints made against him, saying some staff “complained that I asked too many questions, including in budget meetings with hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money at stake, curtailed unwieldy interventions in meetings, or that they were intimidated or offended by my body language”.
“These were dismissed,” he added.
On the allegations that were upheld, he said the report concluded “I had abused my power by replacing a lead negotiator when I was foreign secretary, and as justice secretary had left senior officials feeling insulted on three occasions because of direct feedback”.
But he doubled-down on his attack on the process, saying “normal rules of evidence and procedural fairness were disapplied”, including a rule for all complaints to be made within three months.
“In my case, all the complaints were stored up for over three months, most over eight months, some for over four years – and then submitted in a coordinated way,” he claimed.
“And I was subject to trial by media for six months, fuelled by warped and fabricated accounts leaked by anonymous officials.”
Labour’s Sir Keir accused Mr Raab of “whining” when the public wanted to hear about things that mattered to them.
“There is a bigger picture here,” he said. “We have got a cost of living crisis, there is the future of the NHS that is really, really important… and we are mired in talking about the weaknesses and the inability of the government to actually deliver anything for the people of this country.
“I don’t know why Dominic Raab thinks in the middle of a cost of living crisis that anybody wants to hear about his whining about having to resign.
“What I think everybody wants is strong leadership and that has been palpably absent here.
“Why on earth was Raab appointed in the first place? Why on earth didn’t the prime minister act more quickly? Why on earth isn’t the government laser focuses on the cost of living crisis and the absolute mess of the NHS that they have made?”
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The Labour leader says that the resignation of the deputy prime minitser and justice secretary shows there is weakness at the top of the Tory party.
The civil service union, the FDA, called for an independent inquiry into ministerial bullying following the findings of the report.
General secretary Dave Penman said: “This resignation is not a vindication of the current system, it’s a damning indictment of the inadequacy of a process that relies solely on the prime minister of the day to enforce standards.”
Mike Clancy, the boss of another civil service union Prospect, also said there had been “a toxic culture at the top of government for too long with civil servants and public trust paying the price for this chaos”, calling on Mr Sunak to now “clean out the rest of the stables”.
He added: “These issues go to the heart of the anger and distrust many people feel towards the way our country runs. It is time for ministers to step up and to start restoring trust both for civil servants and the good of the country.”
Mr Raab sat alongside Mr Sunak in the Commons on Wednesday.
Mr Raab was appointed by Mr Sunak after he took power in October, and less than 48 hours ago he was sat alongside the PM at Prime Minister’s Questions.
Allegations surfaced about Mr Raab back in November, with former staff claiming he created a “culture of fear” in their departments.
He denied the allegations and requested an investigation into himself after two formal complaints were made.
As the weeks rolled on, more accusations came to light, with one report suggesting as many as 24 complaints had been made.
Mr Sunak has come under pressure over what he knew about Mr Raab’s alleged conduct, with a source telling political editor Beth Rigby the PM was informed about Mr Raab’s “unacceptable behaviour” before appointing him as his deputy and justice secretary.
Downing Street said Mr Sunak was “not aware” of any “formal complaints” about Mr Raab when he appointed him, but Number 10 did not deny concerns had been expressed informally.
Mr Raab’s departure follows Mr Sunak’s decision to dismiss Tory party chairman Nadhim Zahawi from his post in January after the former chancellor was found to have broken the ministerial code over his tax affairs.
It was supposed to be a day of pure joy, with hours spent dancing with the love of his life.
But when Hamas terrorists attacked Nova festival on 7 October 2023, Roei Shalev’s life was tragically changed forever.
The 29-year-old was dancing the night away with his partner, Mapal Adam, and their best friend Hilly Solomon when rocket fire suddenly drowned out the music.
Roei, Mapal and Hilly frantically tried to escape by car, driving away from the festival grounds until they encountered a young woman stumbling into the road, covered in blood.
She warned them that there were Hamas gunmen behind her, so the trio exited their vehicle and ran to nearby trees to hide.
“Bullets whizzed past us, grenades exploded nearby, and terror engulfed us from all directions,” Roei said.
They dived under two abandoned cars – Roei and Mapal under one, Hilly under the other.
But the gunmen caught up with them, shooting the three festivalgoers as they were pinned under the cars.
Roei tried to shield 26-year-old Mapal from the bullets, but she died beneath him while he was shot in the back. Hilly, 26, was also killed instantly.
Roei was shot in the back twice. Pic: Instagram/@roeishalev
What followed were “agonising” hours during which Roei lay still, covered in his and his girlfriend’s blood, and played dead.
Even when a second group of gunmen approached and shot at him a second time, hitting him in the back yet again, he did not move.
Seven hours later, the Israeli army found Roei alive.
“That day was the darkest I’ve ever known,” he later said.
The terror continued
A week after his girlfriend and best friend were killed, Roei’s mother Raffaela took her own life because she “couldn’t contain the pain and losses of October 7”, according to her son.
“In just one week, I lost three of the most important women to me in the world,” Roei said.
“In the months that followed, I struggled to cope. Flashbacks and anxiety consumed me, and sleep became a distant memory.”
Roei said therapy and the unwavering support of others gave him the strength to share his story publicly.
“I opened up on social media, laying bare the rawest details of my trauma. The response was overwhelming,” Roei wrote on a fundraising page for Nova festival survivors and their families last year.
“Messages poured in from people who found solace and inspiration in my journey. Their words gave me purpose, a reason to keep fighting.”
He said he was “uncertain of what the future holds”, but knew that he had to “honour the memory of the three extraordinary girls who were taken from us too soon”.
Roei Shalev and Mapal Adam. Pic: Instagram/@roeishalev
In the two years that followed these tragic events, Roei renamed the family bakery he had been running with his girlfriend to “Mapal Cafe”, in tribute to his “one and only love” and organised events to commemorate Mapal and Hilly.
“Amidst the pain and sorrow, I hold onto one truth: we will dance again,” he said in his fundraising post a year ago.
‘Longing for you is only getting bigger’
On the anniversary of his girlfriend’s death, Roei wrote on Instagram: “Two years have passed since the most terrible day of my life… and of a whole country.
“The longing for you is only getting bigger, the pain does not pass with time. It is always there, everywhere, all the time. I’m full of pain this year, even more than last year.”
In the post, Roei thanked his girlfriend for “moments I won’t forget, pure love and the best relationship I could ask for”.
He also addressed both her and Hilly, saying: “A huge apology that I couldn’t keep you safe on this terrible day, you know I did everything, I did everything to keep you safe, my beloved.
“I preferred to die in agony and for you to survive it.”
A woman leans on a picture of Mapal Adam, at the site of the Nova music festival. File pic: AP
On Friday night, three days after the anniversary of the tragic events, Roei posted a note on his Instagram account, saying he “can’t go on anymore”.
“I’ve never felt such deep and burning pain and suffering in my life. It’s eating me up inside,” Roei wrote.
His note raised concern among his family and friends, and a frantic search was launched.
The search ended a few hours later in the tragic discovery of Roei’s body inside a burning car near Poleg Beach in Netanya, Israel. Police have opened an investigation, according to Israeli media.
His friends describe Roei as a warm and devoted member of the Nova community who “gave strength to everyone else while quietly carrying immense pain”, The Times of Israel reports.
Roei’s family confirmed his death in a statement and asked for their privacy to be respected.
Roei Shalev was found dead on Friday. Pic: Instagram/@novaexhibitions
The Nova Tribe Community organisation, which represents survivors and families of the victims of the October 7 attack on the music festival, called his death “heartbreaking” and “deeply saddening” in a tribute.
“Roei was a pillar of strength within the community, and his death is an immeasurable loss for us,” the organisation said.
The statement continued: “Sadly, many members of the Nova community are still experiencing traumatic moments daily since October 7.
“We ask everyone to show constant awareness and emotional sensitivity to the mental state of those affected by the October 7 events and to all survivors and bereaved families.”
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SafeHeart, a non-profit organisation providing psychological support for October 7 survivors and their families, said in a statement: “Our hearts are broken alongside Roei’s family, friends, and the entire survivor community.
“This terrible tragedy is a painful reminder that for many survivors, the trauma of October 7 has not ended. It continues to live within them, day by day, moment by moment. The pain does not simply fade with time; in many cases, it grows stronger.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK.
Alternatively, you can call Mind’s support line on 0300 102 1234, or NHS on 111.
A survivor of the October 7 attacks has died, two years after his girlfriend was shot dead by Hamas gunmen at Nova Festival.
Roei Shalev, 29, has been found dead shortly after the second anniversary of the death of his 27-year-old girlfriend Mapal Adam, who was killed by Hamas gunmen when they attacked Nova Festival.
The couple had been dancing with their friend Hilly Solomon, 26, on 7 October 2023 when the sound of rocket fire drowned out the music, causing them to flee the festival grounds in their car.
As Hamas fighters closed in from all directions, the trio hid under a car, but they were spotted by gunmen and shot several times.
Roei Shalev and Mapal Adam. Pic: Instagram/@roeishalev
Mr Shalev said he waited seven “agonising” hours with two bullets in his back – with his girlfriend and his friend lying dead beside him – until the Israeli army came.
A week later, his mother took her own life.
“In just one week, I lost three of the most important women to me in the world,” Mr Shalev wrote on a fundraising page for festival survivors and their families.
“That day was the darkest I’ve ever known. In the months that followed, I struggled to cope. Flashbacks and anxiety consumed me, and sleep became a distant memory,” he added.
Now, two years after the horrifying attack, Mr Shalev was found dead in a burning car near Poleg Beach in Netanya, Israel.
Police have opened an investigation, Israeli media reports.
Shortly before his body was found, Mr Shalev had posted a note on his Instagram account, saying he “can’t go on anymore”.
“I’ve never felt such deep and burning pain and suffering in my life. It’s eating me up inside,” Mr Shavel wrote.
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Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK.
Alternatively, you can call Mind’s support line on 0300 102 1234, or NHS on 111.
World
Hamas official thanks Donald Trump for ceasefire deal – but tells Sky News Tony Blair not welcome
A senior Hamas official has thanked President Donald Trump for his role in securing a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
In an exclusive interview with Sky News’ lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim, senior Hamas official Dr Basem Naim also warned that former UK Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair would not be welcome in any post-war role for Gaza.
Latest updates: Palestinians head back north – as Israel pulls troops back
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a first phase of a peace deal brokered by the US president, with a ceasefire taking effect on Friday.
Dr Naim said the ceasefire would not have been possible without President Trump, but insisted he needed to continue to apply pressure to Israel to stick to the agreement.
He added that Hamas would be willing to step aside for a Palestinian body to govern a post-war Gaza, but that they would remain “on the ground” and would not be disarmed.
Dr Naim said in the interview: “Without the personal interference of President Trump in this case, I don’t think that it would have happened to have reached the end of the war.
“Therefore, yes, we thank President Trump and his personal efforts to interfere and to pressure Israel to bring an end to this massacre and slaughtering.”
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He added: “We believe and we hope that President Trump will continue to interfere personally and to exercise the maximum pressure on [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to fulfil its obligation.
“First, as according to the deal, and second, according to the international law as an occupying power, because I think without this pressure, without this personal interference from President Trump, this will not happen.
“We have already seen Netanyahu speaking to the media, threatening to go to war again if this doesn’t happen, if that doesn’t happen.”
Donald Trump has been thanked for his role in securing a peace deal in Gaza. Pic: AP
Questions remain over the next phases of the peace plan, including who will govern Gaza as Israeli troops gradually pull back and whether Hamas will disarm – as called for in Mr Trump’s ceasefire plan.
Mr Netanyahu has hinted that Israel might renew its offensive if Hamas does not give up its weapons.
However, Dr Naim said Hamas would not completely disarm and that weapons would only be handed over to the Palestinian state, with fighters integrated into the Palestinian National Army.
“No one has the right to deny us the right to resist the occupation of armies,” he said.
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Thousands of Gazans are heading north as Israeli troops pull back.
On future governance, Dr Naim criticised plans for Sir Tony to play any role in overseeing the future of Gaza, saying that Hamas and Palestinians were angered by his role in previous wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Dr Naim added: “When it comes to Tony Blair, unfortunately, we Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims and maybe others around the world have bad memories of him.
“We can still remember his role in killing, causing thousands or millions of deaths to innocent civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“We can still remember him very well after destroying Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Under Mr Trump’s plans, Sir Tony would form part of an international supervisory body.
The international body, the Council of Peace or Board of Peace, would govern under plans approved by Mr Netanyahu.
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The body would hold most power while overseeing the administration of Palestinian technocrats running day-to-day affairs.
It would also hold the commanding role of directing reconstruction in Gaza.
Sir Tony Blair has been told he would not be welcome in a post-war Gaza. Pic: PA
Dr Naim added that Hamas was satisfied Mr Trump’s plan would achieve peace in Gaza.
But he said it could never be fully satisfied after accusing Israel of genocide.
Israel has continually denied this, claiming it has been fighting Hamas terrorists to defend itself following the October 7 massacre in 2023.
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