Rishi Sunak finds himself in trouble on a number of issues as the matter over Dominic Raab’s appointment as justice secretary deepens and the two former prime ministers seek to tell him how to do his job.
On Friday, Downing Street did not deny media reports that written complaints about Raab’s behavior had reached the center of government before Sunak was appointed Justice Minister in October last year.
Number 10 insisted the prime minister had not been told about the “formal complaint”, but denied saying Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, had made him aware of the written complaint about Raab.
Some Conservative MPs believe Raab should stand down amid an investigation by Adam Tolley KC into allegations that the justice secretary harassed civil servants, saving the prime minister and government further political damage.
“It’s getting ridiculous,” said one former Conservative minister. “This goes on and on. It hurts you.”
On Saturday, former party leader Sir Jake Berry called for Raab to step down.
Berry told the BBC: “When you have 24 extraordinary allegations against you – I read in the papers there are 24 – it would be very strange if you had someone in another workplace not suspended pending an investigation.”
Berry said that “MPs and ministers are not a special type of human being – I think they should be treated like everyone else in the workplace”.
Downing Street said Sunak was awaiting the conclusion of the Tolley report before deciding Raab’s fate; did not dispute a report in The Times that Case was informed of the written complaint about Raab before Sunak was reinstated as justice secretary.
The Financial Times has been told by a person close to the process that at the time of Raab’s appointment there were a number of written complaints relating to his conduct in his first spell as justice secretary from September 2021 to September 2022.
Raab denied bullying and Number 10 said Sunak launched an independent investigation when he was “made aware of a formal complaint”.
One person familiar with the inquiry insisted that civil servants had not made a formal complaint about Raab’s behavior because they doubted that prime minister Boris Johnson would approve an inquiry.
However, the person confirmed that the Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team, which briefs the prime minister on ministerial appointments, had been informed in writing of complaints about Raab’s conduct.
The Cabinet Office says that anyone who makes a written complaint must choose whether to make a “formal complaint”, which will then trigger the formal process.
Downing Street said: “There are processes within the department for civil servants to make formal complaints. These processes are known to civil servants if they choose to make a formal complaint.
Sunak was asked repeatedly in a BBC interview at the G20 in Bali last November whether he had been informed of the informal complaint against Raab. He said only that he was not aware of any formal complaints.
Asked if Case had failed to submit a written complaint about Raab, Number 10 said: “We will not be involved in the appointment process or any advice that the prime minister does or does not take.”
This case has faced heavy criticism, including from senior officials, for not meeting the high standards of the government and for not defending the interests of civil servants.
Meanwhile Sunak, weakened by several rows over cabinet appointments, now faces the additional problem of seeking public advice from his two predecessors as prime ministers.
Liz Truss, whose premiership 44 days of disaster ended last October, will break her silence this weekend in a long article in the Sunday newspaper which is expected to renew the call for immediate tax cuts.
Truss, unbowed by the disintegration of his own economic policy last year, is expected to increase pressure on Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor, to announce tax cuts in the March Budget to boost the economy.
Hunt and Sunak have made it clear that significant tax cuts should wait and fighting inflation is the main target, but Truss is one of a growing number of Tory MPs calling for action now.
Meanwhile, Johnson, who resigned as prime minister last September, has asked Sunak to send more tanks to Ukraine, on top of the 14 Challenger 2s that Britain has already committed to.
In an interview with close ally Nadine Dorries on TalkTV, Johnson said on Friday: “I’m telling you this, Nadine, it won’t be a problem if we give you another tank ourselves.”
Sunak insisted that he was not upset by Johnson’s campaign for Ukraine, which included visits to Kyiv and Washington. However, he insisted that he had increased military support for Ukraine compared to the level he sent when Johnson was in office.
Also in the interview, Johnson, who is facing a House of Commons inquiry into whether he misled MPs by insisting he did not break party rules during the coronavirus lockdown, stuck to his stance that he had not deliberately broken the rules.
He also appeared to side with Conservative MPs calling for tax cuts ahead of the next general election.
“I have no doubt that, when the time comes, the government will make sure they start reducing the tax burden and get the economy going again and that’s what needs to happen,” Johnson told Dorries.