Prime minister Rishi Sunak has promoted two close allies to replace the departing Dominic Raab, including Oliver Dowden as deputy PM.
Mr Raab resigned from cabinet this morning after a report upheld two claims of bullying against him and found he was “unreasonably and persistently aggressive” in a meeting while foreign secretary.
His departure sparked a mini-reshuffle, with Alex Chalk, a former junior minister for the Ministry of Defence, replacing him as justice secretary.
The swift appointment of Mr Chalk makes the Cheltenham MP the 11th person appointed Justice Secretary since the Conservatives took power in 2010.
The investigation by Adam Tolley KC concluded that the former deputy prime minister’s behaviour “also involved an abuse or misuse of power in a way that undermines or humiliates”.
Mr Raab went down swinging, dismissing the investigation as a “Kafkaesque saga” and warning its findings set a “dangerous precedent” for ministerial conduct.
Rishi Sunak, who was called “weak” for failing to sack his deputy over the findings, accepted Mr Raab’s resignation on Friday morning with “great sadness”.
Full report: Dominic Raab resigns after bullying investigation
Dominic Raab has resigned as deputy prime minister after a damning report into claims he bullied civil servants was finally published (Adam Forrest writes).
The findings of Adam Tolley KC’s independent probe in the bullying claims landed on the PM’s desk on Thursday morning, but the results were not initially revealed.
Mr Raab has denied allegations of bullying – insisting that he believes “heart and soul” that he is not a bully.
In a punchy resignation letter he said he felt “duty bound” to accept the outcome of the inquiry.
Full report from The Independent’s politics team here:
Dowden ‘deeply honoured’ to be named deputy PM
Newly-appointed deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden said he was “deeply honoured” to take on the role.
“I look forward to working even more closely with the prime minister as we tackle the issues that matter most to the people of this country,” he tweeted.
Suella Braverman wins legal battle over ‘emergency’ asylum camp at Essex military base
Suella Braverman has won a legal battle over plans to turn a former military base into a camp housing 1,700 asylum seekers.
The home secretary declared the current shortage of asylum accommodation an “emergency” to bypass normal planning permission, and development has been started at former RAF Wethersfield without local consultation.
Braintree District Council applied for an injunction to stop the scheme and force the government to apply for planning permission in the normal way but on Friday, a judge ruled that the High Court did not have jurisdiction to decide the case.
Our home affairs editor Lizzie Dearden has this breaking story:
Dominic Raab: Timeline of the Deputy Prime Minister’s political career
7 important things you might have missed from the Dominic Raab bullying report
The report the prompted Dominic Raab‘s resignation runs to a densely packed 47 pages.
The headline is that he did bully staff and quit the governemnt over its findings.
But the report also contains a lot of interesting details about what did and didn’t go on while Mr Raab was a cabinet minister.
There are also a number of curious hints about how the deputy prime minister reacted to the inquiry itself.
Our policy correspondent Jon Stone has the details:
Oliver Dowden appointed new deputy PM after Raab’s resignation
Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell has written up a summary of Rishi Sunak’s mini Cabinet reshuffle, prompted by Dominic Raab’s departure this morning.
Read his full report here:
Report unable to find in favour of ‘perverse culture of fear’ under Raab
New details now from the report into Dominic Raab’s conduct, as work continues by our political team to comb through the 48-page document:
Adam Tolley KC was unable to find in favour of civil servants at the Ministry of Justice who complained of a “perverse culture of fear” and unreasonable work deadlines during Mr Raab‘s tenure.
Mr Tolley praised the officials for coming forward and found they had “no ulterior agenda”, but said issues with the composition of the complaint made it unsuitable as a basis for findings.
He wrote: “The participants in the MoJ group complaint deserve credit for their courage in coming forward.
“It cannot have been easy for them to do so and their motivation was to stand up for more senior colleagues whose experiences they had observed at one remove.
“Having interviewed almost all of the individuals closely involved, I find that they are sincere and committed civil servants, with no ulterior agenda.”
Referring to the complaint, he said: “It uses the language of a ‘perverse culture of fear’ without a clear explanation of what it is said to mean.
“I received different explanations from different individuals.
“It refers to a significant extent to material in relation to effects on colleagues about which none of the interviewees in respect of the MoJ group complaint knew anything specific.
“It made allegations about unreasonable work deadlines which were not persuasively instantiated by any witness.”
Labour attacks appointment of ‘11th justice secretary in 13 chaotic years’
Shadow justice secretary Steve Reed said that Alex Chalk was the “11th Conservative justice secretary in 13 chaotic years that have destroyed the justice system”.
“Real change can only come with a Labour government,” he said.
‘Sigh of relief’ as Alex Chalk replaces Dominic Raab
Lizzie Dearden, The Independent’s home affairs correspondent writes;
Many of those working in the criminal justice system are breathing a sigh of relief at the appointment of Alex Chalk as Dominic Raab’s successor as justice secretary.
A current defence minister, he previously served as solicitor general until he resigned during the meltdown of Boris Johnson’s government last July. Mr Chalk went on to back Rishi Sunak’s leadership campaign.
He is not believed to be an enthusiastic supporter of his predecessor’s Bill of Rights, and his appointment could be the final death knell for the controversial law.
In his July resignation letter, Mr Chalk spoke of his work on new domestic abuse laws and the delivery of legal advice, and praised the “talented civil servants” he worked with in the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Office.
Mr Chalk is a barrister and was practicing as recently as last year, with his chambers profile saying he “prosecuted and defended in the most serious cases, including terrorist bomb plots, international fraud, multi-handed rape cases and murder.”
Sunak takes Raab resignation as opportunity for mini-reshuffle
It appears the prime minister is taking Dominic Raab’s departure this morning as an opportunity for a mini-reshuffle of his Cabinet.
With the next general election fast approaching, these latest movements inside Rishi Sunak’s inner circle give us an idea of how the Tory command might look when the country next takes to the polls.
Here is a rundown of the latest appointments:
The King has been pleased to approve the following appointments:
- Alex Chalk KC MP as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
- James Cartlidge MP as a Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence
- Gareth Davies MP as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP, has also been appointed Deputy Prime Minister.
In addition, His Majesty has approved the following appointments under the provisions in the Ministerial and other Maternity Allowances Act 2021:
- Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP as a Minister on Leave (Secretary of State)
- Rt Hon Chloe Smith MP as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
- Julia Lopez MP as a Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
- Rt Hon Sir John Whittingdale OBE MP as a Minister of State jointly in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
These will take effect when maternity leave is triggered.
