Rishi Sunak may change bullying rules after Dominic Raab's report

Rishi Sunak spent several hours Thursday reading and digesting the report

Rishi Sunak may rewrite the definition of bullying in the Whitehall rulebook after Dominic Raab complained that the bar had been set «dangerously» low.

Mr Raab, Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister, resigned after a report of complaints filed by civil servants in his department , testified that his conduct constituted bullying under the Ministerial Code.

He was left with no choice but to leave after promising to leave if Adam Tolly KC's report found that he has intimidated anyone, but he has made it clear that he considers the complaints against him «false».

Senior government sources told The Telegraph that both Mr. Sunak and Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, sympathize with Mr. Raab's position and believe that civil servants should be «sustainable.»

One source suggested that Mr. Sunak «may change the rules in the future» as he agrees with Mr. Raab that the bar for bullying is «too low».

My resignation letter.👇 pic.twitter.com/DLjBfChlFq

— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) April 21, 2023

In his resignation letter, Mr Raab indicated that Mr Tolly suggested that his behavior had crossed the line set by the Ministerial Code, although he concluded that: “I have not once, in four and a half years, swear or yell at someone, let alone throw something or otherwise physically intimidate someone without intentionally trying to belittle anyone.”

He added: “By setting such a low threshold for bullying, this investigation has set a dangerous precedent. This will encourage false complaints against ministers and will have a chilling effect on those making changes on behalf of your government — and ultimately the British people.» most of the complaints filed against Mr. Raab were not equated with bullying, but that «one or two» did indeed cross the line under the current definition.

The Ministerial Code states that “harassment, intimidation, or other inappropriate or discriminatory behavior … is unacceptable,” and goes on to say that “Ministers must be professional in their working relationship with the public service and treat all those with whom they come.” into contact with attention and respect.”

Without giving a more precise definition of bullying, the Code is open to interpretation and one possibility is that Mr. Sunak may decide to add more detail about what is and is unacceptable.

On Thursday, the prime minister spent several hours reading and analyzing the report, which one source called «very detailed.»

The Prime Minister and his advisers not only considered Mr. Tolley's opinion, but also considered each of the allegations «forensically» to form their own opinion on what the applicants had said.

Downing. The street previously indicated that Mr. Sunak would consider keeping Mr. Raab as Justice Minister and giving him a lesser sentence than dismissal, as the code allows ministers to ask for an apology or cut their pay while remaining in office.

< p>During meetings in Downing Street on Thursday, Mr Case, who is the head of the civil service, stressed the need for officials to be «sustainable» but also said Mr Tolley's findings cannot be ignored.

In his response to Mr. Raab's resignation, Mr. Sunak said, «We should learn from this how to better deal with such issues in the future.»