Dominic Raab ‘will fight to the death’ as Sunak agonises over bullying report

Dominic Raab is determined to fight to keep his Cabinet job, as it hangs in the balance after the Prime Minister was handed the findings of a report into bullying allegations.

Rishi Sunak received the conclusions of Adam Tolley KC's investigation into bullying claims on Thursday, and spent the day agonising over whether to dismiss his Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, in the end delaying a decision to Friday.

Mr Raab had promised to quit if found conclusively to have bullied staff.

But having also read the findings in Mr Tolley's report on Thursday, he did not announce a resignation.

Allies of Mr Raab said “he’ll fight to the death”, claiming that Mr Sunak’s delay in making a decision suggested there were “grey areas” and the report was not “cut and dried”.

Both Mr Sunak and Mr Raab were handed copies of the findings on Thursday morning. By the evening they had still not spoken to each other, according to a source familiar with developments.

If Mr Raab is forced to leave his job, then Mr Sunak will be only the second prime minister since 1979 to lose three Cabinet ministers in their first six months, according to an Institute of Government analysis for The Telegraph.

The other was Boris Johnson, whose approach to handling Tory controversies Mr Sunak has criticised in the past.

Mr Raab has been one of the Prime Minister's most loyal supporters and was a linchpin in his leadership campaigns. He was one of the first to support Mr Sunak on both occasions when he stood.

There had been hopes within Downing Street to announce a decision on Mr Raab’s fate by close of play on Thursday, but those faded in the afternoon as Mr Sunak sought more time.

A No 10 insider told The Telegraph: “It is a detailed report. The Prime Minister wants to consider the findings thoroughly.”

Mr Sunak made no public comment on Thursday, leaving Westminster to speculate about whether the delay suggested he was leaning towards or away from a sacking.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said Mr Sunak's previous expression of having “full confidence” in Mr Raab “still stands”, adding: “Obviously he's carefully considering the findings of the report before coming to a judgement.”

Mr Raab and his spokesman issued no comments either. Mr Raab has consistently rejected all allegations of bullying, predicting the investigation would vindicate him.

Labour has tried to exploit the vacuum of information for political gain, with Emily Thornberry, the party’s shadow attorney general, dubbing Mr Sunak indecisive.

Ms Thornberry told ITV News: “Stop dithering and delaying, summon up your courage and sack your deputy if he's a bully because this is not what the people elected him for.”

Figures close to Mr Sunak argued it was proper for him to follow all due process before reaching a decision, as it was laced with legal complexity.

Mr Raab, who was once a solicitor in the Foreign Office, is personally paying for a legal team to fight the claims against him.

In the past, Mr Raab has pushed back to try to retain Cabinet positions. He resisted being moved by Mr Johnson from the Foreign Office in September 2021.

In the end, after hours of behind-the-scenes wrangling, Mr Raab was made Deputy Prime Minister as well as Justice Secretary.

A source supportive of Mr Raab said: “He is definitely fighting it. We knew he was going to fight it. We know he is lawyered up so he will fight it to save his political skin.”

Mr Sunak is understood to be preparing to make his decision on Friday.

In total there are understood to be eight complaints, some with multiple witnesses and victims, which were investigated by Mr Tolley.

More than 20 people were interviewed, including Mr Johnson and three permanent secretaries who led government departments under Mr Raab.

The allegations, some of them aired in the media via leaks, amount to a claim that Mr Raab created a culture of fear in the government departments he ran.

However, his allies have always argued there is a difference between demanding high standards from junior staff and bullying, insisting he did not overstep the mark.

Mr Raab has categorically rejected all the claims of bullying, saying in the past: “I'm confident I have behaved professionally at all times.”

Mr Tolley was asked to “establish the facts” behind the allegations, rather than provide a verdict on whether civil servants were bullied.

One source familiar with the report's contents told the Telegraph that the allegations were listed one after the other, followed by remarks from Mr Tolley offering a factual assessment on their credibility.

However, it is up to the Prime Minister to determine whether the behaviour amounts to a breach of the Ministerial Code, which binds MPs who have government department jobs.

The code is explicit: “Harassing, bullying or other inappropriate or discriminating behaviour wherever it takes place is not consistent with the Ministerial Code and will not be tolerated.”

One option could be that Mr Sunak seeks the advice of Sir Laurie Magnus, his independent adviser on ministerial interests. Downing Street declined to say if he had been consulted.

There were signs that Whitehall was braced for a Cabinet reshuffle, with senior civil servants preparing “day one” briefing packs for new government ministers as a precaution.

Such moves are regularly taken in departments when there is a possibility of a new Cabinet minister.

As well as a decision pending on Mr Raab, Michelle Donelan, the Science Secretary, is due to go on maternity leave imminently, meaning a short-term replacement is needed.

Victoria Atkins, financial secretary to the Treasury, Victoria Prentis, the attorney general, and Lucy Frazer, the Culture Secretary, are all reported to have been identified as potential candidates to become justice secretary if the position needs to be filled.

Mr Sunak pledged on the steps of Downing Street on the first day of his premiership to lead a government of “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level”.

The words have been used by critics who have claimed at points the high bar has not been reached.

Sir Gavin Williamson quit as Cabinet Office minister, a role that meant he attended Cabinet, just two weeks after being appointed over claims of being heavy-handed with colleagues and fellow MPs – allegations he always denied.

Nadhim Zahawi was sacked as Conservative Party chairman when it emerged he agreed to pay a penalty as part of a seven-figure tax settlement with HM Revenue and Customs.