The resignation of UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab on Friday, following the confirmation of bullying allegations against him, has dealt a fresh political blow to the Conservative party.
This development comes just two weeks ahead of the local elections, where the Tories are expected to lose seats, and amidst a broader struggle to regain lost ground to the opposition Labour Party ahead of next year’s general election.
While Raab had pledged to step down if any allegations against him were found to be true, he expressed discontent with the conclusions of the lawyer-led inquiry, which upheld only two of the claims made against him. Raab believed that the bar for bullying was set too low and that this would encourage frivolous complaints against ministers, ultimately having a negative impact on those driving change in the government. Consequently, he resigned from his post as justice secretary, where he was already facing challenges, including a backlog of criminal cases caused by years of under-funding and pandemic-related disruptions.
Raab’s resignation presents a challenge for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has vowed to restore integrity, professionalism, and accountability to the government in the aftermath of Boris Johnson’s tumultuous tenure. Sunak previously dismissed Nadhim Zahawi as Conservative party chairman over his tax affairs, and Gavin Williamson, who kept a tarantula on his desk while in charge of party discipline in parliament, resigned over expletive-laden messages.
