“I feel duty bound to accept the outcome of the inquiry,” Raab said in his resignation statement, adding that he was “genuinely sorry.” He had previously promised to resign if the report upheld bullying claims about him.
However, he also criticized the inquiry for “setting the threshold for bullying so low.” He warned it could set a “dangerous precedent” and encourage “spurious complaints.”
The move is another blow to Sunak’s government, which has been dogged by allegations of “sleaze” and impropriety after he promised to restore “integrity” when he took over as prime minister from Liz Truss in October.
Sunak was fined by police last year for breaking coronavirus lockdown rules, and he has been reprimanded for legal infractions including failing to wear a seat belt while traveling in a car and not keeping his dog on a leash in a park. He is currently under investigation by a parliamentary watchdog over whether he properly declared his wife’s interests in a child-care company that could benefit from government policies.
Raab served as deputy prime minister and justice minster in Sunak’s cabinet. He previously worked as a Brexit minister and was viewed as a close political ally of Sunak, backing his leadership campaign last year.
Raab’s departure follows the recent scandal-linked removal of two other cabinet colleagues. Conservative Party chair Nadhim Zahawi was fired in January after an ethics probe found him in breach of a ministerial code regarding his tax affairs, and former minister Gavin Williamson resigned in November, also over bullying allegations.
Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer told reporters Friday that Raab’s resignation showed the “continual weakness” of a Sunak government. He added that Britons are more concerned about a cost of living crisis and the National Health Service than wanting to “hear about his whining about having to resign.”
Sunak has yet to comment on the matter, and his Downing Street office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post.
