Dominic Raab has announced that he will leave the government if an independent investigation confirms the allegations of bullying.
The Justice Minister, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, asked Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in November to launch an investigation into two formal complaints filed against him over his behavior towards staff.
It is alleged that Mr. Raab was previously “rude and aggressive” towards the staff, but has denied these accusations.
The investigation is being led by Adam Tolly KC and there are currently eight formal complaints against Mr Raab, including the first two complaints that have been investigated.
They cover his time in his current role as Minister of Justice to his time as Foreign Minister and the former Brexit Department.
I Last December, it became known that some of those official complaints included accusations from multiple officials, meaning that the number of employees making allegations about the senior minister’s behavior is higher than previously thought.
Asked on Sunday’s Sky Sophy Ridge if he would resign if an investigation found he had bullied staff, Mr Raab said: “Let me get the right answer at the right time. If the allegation of bullying is confirmed, I will, of course, resign.”
He insisted that he “always behaved professionally” and did not comment on the investigation against him because he wanted to “professionally respect the integrity of this process.”
Escher and Walton MPs faced multiple calls for their resignation from government during the ongoing investigation.
But on Sunday, he stressed that it “ultimately depends on the prime minister” and said asking ministers to resign every time they are complained about could “politicize the complaint process.”
“I really think that if you can knock out a minister or a high-ranking person just by filing a complaint, I’m not sure if that’s the right thing to do.
“We believe in innocence until proven guilty in this country. And listen, I will fully cooperate with the investigation and respect the result.”
Former Tory leader Jake Berry is among those who have proposed removing Mr Raab as Deputy Prime Minister while the bullying allegations are investigated.
opposing Radio 4 weeks at Westminster Earlier this month, he said MPs and ministers “are not special people” but should be treated “like everyone else.”
Liberal Democrat leader Whip Wendy Chamberlain said Sunday that Mr. Sunak should “stand up” and remove Mr. Raab from office while the investigation continues.
“This would happen to someone who would face such serious allegations in another workplace,” she said.
“The current situation is completely untenable, how can victims of crime expect justice when the responsible minister is busy clearing his name?”
She added: “The longer this goes on, the more the prime minister’s judgment and his promise to act with integrity will be called into question.”
Deputy Labor Leader Angela Rayner said last month that the number of charges raised “more questions” about Mr Rishi Sunak’s sentencing.
“The cabinet he appointed is riddled with filth and scandal, but the prime minister is too weak to do anything about it. There should be no whitewashing and the prime minister himself should be honest about what he knew when he reappointed Dominic Raab,” she said.