Dominic Raab resigned on Friday morning. Photo: Paul Grover for The Telegraph. mocked the British ambassador who allegedly secretly offered to place Spanish boots on the ground in Gibraltar during Brexit negotiations.
The complaint was one of two supported by Adam Tolly KC in an investigation into alleged bullying of civil servants, leading to that Rishi Sunak accepted the resignations of his Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice.
The telegraph may indicate that the civil servant at the center of the incident was Hugh Elliott, the British ambassador to Spain.
Mr Raab's allies allege that Mr Elliott went beyond the cabinet's mandate to never have Spanish officers permanently in Gibraltar.
In an article for The Telegraph Mr. Raab criticized the saga as «Kafkaesque» and warned that a «dangerous precedent» had been set with a low threshold for aggressive behaviour.
In another interview, he said «very civil servants-activists» were working against him and warned that ministers would now be «very afraid» of officials.
Mr. Sunak quickly filled in the gaps in his cabinet by handing over the post of deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, a staunch ally who had already led the cabinet.
Alex Chalk, Mr. Sunak's age at the private Winchester College, became the new Attorney General, and Chloe Smith temporarily became Science Secretary during maternity leave Michelle Donelan.
Chloe Smith: A good pair of hands Mr. Sunak instructed Simon Case, Cabinet Secretary, to consider improving the complaints process in the future, saying Raab's case revealed «shortcomings».
Mr. Tolley's report does not reveal all the details of the Foreign Office and Justice Department complaints he backed, concluding in both cases that Mr. Raab intimidated officials.
But The Telegraph may reveal a fuller version of the incident. at the Foreign Office, leading to Mr. Tolly's intimidation conclusion — you can read it in full below.
Mr. Raab's resignation came after a 25-minute phone call with Mr. Sunak on Friday morning . On Thursday, the prime minister agonized over whether to fire his deputy, but admitted the findings meant Mr Raab had violated the ministerial code.
Downing Street has brushed aside speculation that Raab was pressured to step down and a prime minister's spokesman has not ruled out his return to office one day.
Mr Raab wrote in his article for the Telegraph: “This precedent sets a course of action for a small number of officials in regards to ministers who actively negotiate on behalf of the country, implement bold reforms and insistently hold civil servants accountable.
«If this is now the threshold of government intimidation, then the people of this country will pay the price.»
He told the BBC: A very small minority of very active civil servants with a passive-aggressive civil service culture who don't like some reform, be it Brexit, be it parole reform, be it human rights reform, effectively trying to block government. It's not included. It is undemocratic.”
A number of Conservative MPs and their colleagues expressed support, asking if the bar had not been set too low for aggressive behavior and warning that civil servants should not choose cabinet ministers.
Conservative supporters supporting Raab
Lord Lilly, a former Conservative MP and Cabinet Minister, said civil servants should not be allowed to determine who is an elected minister.
He added: “This is especially true when you have an agreement whereby ministers cannot choose the civil servants who work for them. In fact, they cannot determine their own careers, so it is a little strange that civil servants can determine the careers of ministers.” Mr. Sunak lost three cabinet ministers in his first six months in office, matching Boris Johnson's modern record.
Wes Streeting, Labor's shadow health minister, said: «In fact, everything says that even now he showed no remorse or remorse and Rishi Sunak was too weak to fire him.»
How Gibraltar and the ambassador who crossed the line provoked Raab's statements of intimidation
The incident that more than any other ruined Dominic Raab's cabinet career happened towards the end of 2020, with the UK's future relationship with the EU hanging in the balance.
This was about the open land border between UK territory and an EU member state, but not Northern Ireland, which has made so much headlines in the aftermath of Brexit.
Gibraltar, a rocky outcropping in southern Spain, is a British Overseas Territory , but Spain has claimed sovereignty ever since she lost it in 1713. commuted to work every day, as openly as possible.
The British Cabinet has long taken a clear position: whatever solution is proposed, Spanish boots should not be permanently in Gibraltar.
What followed, told by Mr. Raab's allies and detailed in Adam Tolly KC's report of the bullying allegations, eventually led to the resignation on Friday.
My resignation statement.👇 pic.twitter.com/DLjBfChlFq
— Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) April 21, 2023
Mr. Raab, then foreign secretary, heard rumors that Spain was complaining about the moving goalposts even as Britain doubled down on their position.
Puzzled, he continued to investigate. He had heard statements from colleagues that Hugh Elliott, the British ambassador to Spain, might be going beyond the existing British position.
In Raab's allies' retelling, Mr Elliott was looking for a «contrived» solution. with Spanish colleagues who could see some of the Spanish officers stationed in Gibraltar.
Mr Raab ordered him to return to London in November 2020, with the end of the year marked with a negotiating pencil. understand what happened. The details of what was said at their meeting remain unclear and controversial.
The then foreign minister repeatedly tried to find out from the ambassador what ideas were being expressed in Spain, but, according to his allies, the answers were not enough specifics.
The accusation was serious — that the official went beyond the mandate of the Cabinet, the official approach dictated by the highest table of government ministers, and was engaged in politics freelance.
Perhaps a more sympathetic interpretation would be an attempt by a diplomat to find a landing pad for negotiations over high wires. But in Mr. Raab's eyes, the red line was crossed.
Mr. Elliot was effectively removed from the front lines of the talks, but remained ambassador. Instead, Simon Manley, who had been British Ambassador to Spain for six years before Mr Elliott, was sent to negotiate.
Mr. Raab also made changes to the London end by appointing a new director for the relevant section of European policy set at the Foreign Office to finalize negotiations on Gibraltar.
Hugh Elliott, British Ambassador to Spain, was effectively removed from the front line of negotiations your report.
His conclusions are critical: “As part of the process of implementing this leadership choice, he [Mr Raab] behaved intimidatingly, in the sense of being unreasonably and consistently aggressive in the context of the workshop.
“His behavior was also associated with the abuse or misuse of power in a way that undermines or humiliates. In particular, he went beyond what was reasonably necessary to carry out his decision and introduced an element of punishment.
“His behavior should have been perceived by the victims as undermining or humiliating, and it was just that. I conclude that the Deputy Prime Minister must have been aware of this effect; at least he should have been reasonably aware of it.”
Mr Tolly also found that in a separate but related incident, Mr Raab suggested that the conduct of those involved was “a violation of the Civil Code” . Service code (and that would be a violation of their employment contracts).
He said that Mr. Raab “did not harass anyone and did not intend to threaten anyone with disciplinary action. However, he had to understand that referring to the Code of Civil Service in this way “could be perceived as such a threat.”
What exactly was said in the skirmishes, the words and emotions behind them, are not described in detail in the report.
Mr. Elliott's first-hand account is not in the public domain, meaning his version of the story is unclear. He was approached for comment via the Foreign Office — he remains Britain's ambassador to Spain — but nothing has been done. The Foreign Office declined to comment.
Did Dominic Raab do the right thing when he retired?
After all, a deal was struck whereby the Spanish police would not be permanently stationed in Gibraltar. The agreement was reached on New Year's Eve 2020.
In his article for The Telegraph, Mr. Raab did not name the persons involved, but referred to the incident.
He wrote, “There was no demotion or lasting damage from this change. It was important to strike a deal with Spain at 1am on New Year's Eve 2020 — a week after the main UK-EU free trade agreement was struck — and perilously close to failing for Gibraltar.
“However, Mr. Tolly concluded that I had abused my position with this official by expressing my disappointment at the lack of candor I had received.
“He did not conclude that it was intentional, which is a legal requirement under the definition of bullying. At the time, no one mentioned my behavior at the meeting, and until two and a half years there was not a single complaint.”
The incident gets to the bottom of the debate about Mr. Raab’s behavior and whether there was a threshold set «too low» for what was seen as ministerial mockery, as he claimed on Friday.
Dominic Raab mocks the scandal
Spanish frustration Perceptions of the moving goalposts and the possibility of inaccurate briefings by British officials may have jeopardized Gibraltar's post-Brexit status, according to Raab's allies. Details were urgently needed on what was said and when.
But, according to Mr. Tolly, everything that happened behind closed doors amounted to intimidation.
There is one more feature. Earlier this year, The Telegraph reported that Boris Johnson told investigators that he once warned Raab about his behavior.
Could this be the reason for such a warning? On November 20, 2020, the month Mr Elliot was recalled to London, Mr Johnson, then prime minister, came under pressure over another property issue when he lost his ethics adviser.< /p>
Sir Alex Allan has resigned. when Mr. Johnson refused to fire Priti Patel as home secretary after an official investigation uncovered evidence that she had intimidated government employees. Ms. Patel has always denied the bullying allegations.
Did Mr. Johnson warn Mr. Raab of his behavior, but did not take any further action around this time? This is unknown. A source close to Mr. Johnson declined to comment, prompting him to discuss the conduct with Mr. Raab.
The Foreign Office complaint was one of two that Mr. Tolley backed in his 48-page report published after Mr. Raab. Raab announced his resignation.
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