UK Justice Secretary Dominic Raab resigns over bullying allegations

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Dominic Raab has resigned as Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister following months of allegations of bullying in the Ministry of Justice and other Whitehall departments.

The senior Conservative MP has faced multiple formal complaints about his dealings with civil servants, including claims, first revealed by the Guardian, that he bullied and belittled staff, reducing some to tears or causing them to vomit before meetings.

The departure of such a close political ally is a major blow to Rishi Sunak, who will face questions about his judgment for allowing Raab to remain in post while the investigation by Adam Tolley KC, a leading employment barrister, was under way, The Guardian reports.

Some Tory MPs have privately expressed concern that Sunak’s handling of the dispute, following the Nadhim Zahawi tax affair, would further undermine his promise to embed “integrity, professionalism and accountability at all levels” of his government as he tries to move on from the Boris Johnson era.

Raab has consistently denied any bullying of civil servants, including some in senior positions, and said he would fight the formal complaints about his conduct as Justice Secretary and, previously, as Foreign Secretary and Brexit Secretary.