Rishi Sunak will appoint an “independent investigator” to examine complaints made by staff who worked for Dominic Raab, but is unable to say when the probe will start.
Work is underway to find a person with “requisite experience” – in the absence of a permanent ethics adviser, after Boris Johnson failed to fill the role, No 10 said.
But a spokeswoman could not say the investigation will start by Christmas, saying: “I’m not going to put a date on it”.
Earlier, Mr Raab accused Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner of “bluster and mudslinging” as she challenged him on the bullying allegations at Prime Minister’s Questions.
Just hours before the session the justice secretary and deputy PM confirmed that he was at the centre of two formal complaints.
One of the complaints relates to the cabinet minister’s time as foreign secretary, a role he held from 2019 to 2021, while the other relates to his first spell as justice secretary from 2021 to 2022.
Irish premier and 51 other politicians sanctioned by Kremlin
Russia has placed sanctions on Irish premier Micheal Martin and 51 other Irish politicians and officials.
In a statement on Telegram, the Kremlin said the action was being taken “in response to the anti-Russian course of the Irish government”.
Among the 52 key Irish officials and politicians are taoiseach Micheal Martin, tanaiste Leo Varadkar, minister for foreign affairs Simon Coveney, minister of justice Helen McEntee and minister for finance Paschal Donohoe.
The chair of the Irish parliament’s lower house, Sean O’Fearghail, is also included.
Simon Coveney said Ireland will be making “no apology” for being “on the side of international law, the UN Charter, the side of Ukraine and the right side of history”.
Sunak can’t be ‘judge and jury’ in Raab bullying probe
Rishi Sunak cannot be allowed to act as “judge and jury” in a bullying investigation into his deputy Dominic Raab, the Liberal Democrats have said.
The comments come after Downing Street confirmed that the PM plans to appoint an “independent” adviser to probe allegations made against the justice secretary.
Mr Sunak will choose the person who takes up the role and they will report directly to him.
A spokesperson confirmed that the PM will have the final say on any potential disciplinary action arising from the probe.
“The prime minister remains the ultimate arbiter of the [ministerial] code and the determination of any code issues arising from the findings will be a matter for the prime minister,” the spokesperson said.
Wendy Chamberlain, the Lib Dem chief whip, said: “This looks like yet another Conservative stitch-up to let one of their own off the hook.
“Rishi Sunak will be allowed to act as judge and jury, even though he has repeatedly failed to clamp down on rule-breaking and bullying behaviour by other Conservative Cabinet ministers.
“We need a genuinely independent ethics adviser to be appointed now with the power to investigate and punish ministers who break the rules.
“Sunak promised integrity and professionalism, instead all we get is yet more chaos and incompetence.”
Back bench unease at Sunak plan to hike council tax
Rishi Sunak is facing a potential backlash from some Tory MPs over plans to allow councils to hike takes by 5 per cent without the need for a vote.
Under current rules, local authorities can only raise the levy by 2 per cent – or an additional 1 per cent if the hike is used to fund social care.
Bob Blackman, the Conservative MP for Harrow East, told The Times: “In my view, council tax should be set at a local level. However, by easing or taking away the referendum lock, the political risk is that Conservative-run councils will get blamed for increasing council tax.
“It could make the local elections even more challenging next year.”
Jonathan Gullis, the MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, told the paper: “It is a very blunt mechanism. Most importantly and worst of all, those who are most vulnerable in bands A to D will be hit in the pocket even harder.
“Hitting people on low incomes even harder in the pocket at the time of a cost of living crisis will undermine trust, particularly in public services where people will question whether they’re getting value for money.”
Jeremy Hunt urged to intervene on ‘lethal’ runaway inflation and recession
Britain’s economy is facing a “lethal combination of recession and runaway inflation” without intervention in tomorrow’s budget, a leading business group has warned.
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) called on Jeremy Hunt to take targeted measures to ease inflation and boost growth in his autumn statement on Thursday.
Our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports:
Breaking: Rishi Sunak to appoint ‘independent investigator’ to examine complaints against Dominic Raab
Rishi Sunak will appoint an “independent investigator” to examine complaints made by staff who worked for Dominic Raab, but is unable to say when the probe will start.
Work is underway to find a person with “requisite experience” – in the absence of a permanent ethics adviser, after Boris Johnson failed to fill the role, No 10 said.
But a spokeswoman could not say the investigation will start by Christmas, saying: “I’m not going to put a date on it”.
Downing Street also said the PM still has full confidence in Mr Raab.
Our deputy politics editor Rob Merrick has more details:
Raab appears to mouth ‘wan*er’ at Starmer during previous session of PMQs
Under fire minister Dominic Raab appeared to mouth “wan*er” at Keir Starmer at a previous session of PMQs.
Video from last week’s exchanges between the Labour leader and Rishi Sunak shows the justice secretary apparently using the swear word as he sits behind the PM.
It comes as the deputy PM faces mounting allegations of bullying, with two staff earlier today making formal complaints against him.
Raab was challenged by Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner at today’s session. When she brought up the claims Mr Raab accused her of “mudslinging”.
‘Bullying’ confidentiality clause he signed is ‘standard’, Raab claims
Dominic Raab has said a confidentiality agreement he and a former colleague signed over a historic claim of bullying was “standard” practice.
The deputy prime minister was quizzed over the episode, which dates from before he became an MP, in the Commons on Wednesday.
Jon Stone has the full story:
Raab refuses to apologise over mini-budget crisis
Dominic Raab did not apologise for what the SNP said was a “financial crisis” following Liz Truss’s so-called mini-budget, when he was challenged about it at PMQs.
SNP deputy Westminster leader Kirsten Oswald said: “Yesterday the prime minister was asked six different times to apologise for the disaster of the Tory mini-budget and the financial crisis it caused, and all six times he refused to say sorry.
“And now this morning people are waking up to the news that this Christmas they will be hit with the worst inflation in 41 years. So will the deputy prime minister stand up today and do what his boss wouldn’t – will he say sorry?”
Mr Raab said inflation was “clearly” an issue and the PM had made it clear it was “the number one economic challenge we face”.
Sunak ‘too weak to get a grip’, Rayner says
Angela Rayner said Dominic Raab has had to ask Rishi Sunak to launch an investigation into complaints against him “because the prime minister is too weak to get a grip”.
Watch here:
Raab accuses Rayner of ‘bluster and mudslinging’
The recruitment of a new independent ethics adviser is “taking place at pace”, Dominic Raab said after he was urged to “drain the swamp” by Labour.
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner told the Commons: “No ethics, no integrity, and no mandate, and still no ethics adviser. So when will they appoint an independent ethics adviser and drain the swamp?”
The Deputy Prime Minister replied: “The recruitment of the new ethics adviser is already underway and taking place at pace.
“May I say, there is a reason that she has come to the despatch box with her usual mix of bluster and mudslinging. It is because they don’t have a plan.”
