The British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has suffered a significant setback to his leadership following the resignation of one of his closest allies, Dominic Raab, over allegations of bullying officials. Raab, who held several high-profile posts since joining the government as a junior minister in 2015, including deputy prime minister and justice secretary, resigned after an official inquiry found some of the claims made against him were justified.
The independent investigation, conducted by Adam Tolley, was initiated after eight formal complaints were lodged against Raab for his behavior while serving as foreign secretary, Brexit secretary, and justice secretary. In his resignation letter posted on Twitter, Raab stated that he called for the inquiry and promised to resign if any finding of bullying was made against him. He said that the inquiry dismissed all but two of the claims made and concluded that 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.
However, Raab also stated that he believed the report sets a dangerous precedent in setting the threshold for bullying so low. Raab's resignation is a significant blow for Sunak, who has been portrayed as softer than his predecessors, Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, despite coming from the right of the Conservative party himself. Sunak served as Chancellor of the Exchequer during the Covid pandemic and offered his resignation as scandals engulfed the then-Prime Minister Johnson. Johnson's allies believe that Sunak's resignation ultimately led to the end of his premiership and have not forgiven him.
Raab, a firm Brexiteer and a cornerstone of the right of the party, helped to push through policies that required bringing that section of the party with him, thereby bolstering Sunak's right-wing credentials. Although Raab has promised his loyalty to Sunak, former ministers can create trouble on the backbenches if they wish to. The question now is whether or not Raab wants to do this, as he is sincerely loyal to Sunak and understands that Sunak is a political ally to the right of the party. However, his resignation letter implies that Raab was unhappy that he had to leave government.
Raab's resignation is the second by a Sunak ally over bullying claims in less than six months. Cabinet office minister Gavin Williamson resigned from his role in November over accusations, which he denied. The coming days will tell us more about the extent to which Raab was pushed or jumped. If it's the former, Raab could have reason to make life difficult for Sunak later down the line when he struggles with Johnson allies on the right of the party. Sunak will need to work hard to maintain his leadership and keep his party united in the face of these challenges.