Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: In India, politicians bullying others is routine—in fact, most ‘bulls’ consider it their birthright. But the British, who bullied the world for over three centuries, now take it as a serious matter!
That is why British Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Dominic Raab had to announce his resignation on Friday following an independent investigation into complaints that he bullied others.
Announcing his resignation on Twitter, he wrote, “I called for the inquiry and undertook to resign if it made any finding of bullying whatsoever. I believe it is important to keep my word.”
With his resignation, Raab became the third major exit from the Cabinet over their personal conduct since Indian-origin Rishi Sunak took over as the British Prime Minister in October 2022, promising a government of integrity.
Following complaints against Raab, PM Sunak in November appointed a senior employment lawyer Adam Tolley to look into two complaints of the alleged bullying against his deputy.
More complaints emerged since from civil servants who worked with the Deputy PM, and the Financial Times newspaper quoted one person involved in the investigation as saying it was “devastating,” the media reported on Friday.
Tolley sent his report to Sunak on Thursday morning, the PM’s spokesman said.
Rishi Sunak told reporters he still had “full confidence” in Raab but is “carefully considering the findings of the report.” He refused to say when the report would be published.
Often controversial, Raab may now face dismissal if Tolly upholds the complaints, with Sunak and the Conservatives already staring at probable heavy losses in local elections on May 4.
In February, Raab had insisted that he had “behaved professionally throughout,” but added: “If an allegation of bullying is upheld, I would resign.”