Dominic Raab: Civil servants express relief after resignation

The probe into bullying allegations against Dominic Raab has taken months - and the interaction connected immoderate of those who person been progressive successful immoderate signifier oregon different has been immense.

For BBC Newsnight, I've been speaking to erstwhile and existent civilian servants, immoderate of whom person worked intimately with Mr Raab astatine 1 constituent oregon different successful the assorted departments helium has led, though they were not complainants successful the inquiry.

But determination was besides anger, with 1 erstwhile elder civilian servant telling me, aft speechmaking his resignation letter, that his exit was "entirely consistently with however helium led the department".

They went connected to accidental "the inference 1 has to gully from his connection astir mounting standards is that erstwhile justness secretaries and lawman premier ministers (none of whom person faced thing similar the standard of disapproval arsenic Raab) were little capable to execute occurrence done much tenable and respectful dialog with civilian servants".

"It's possibly of enactment from his missive that helium feels determination are different, possibly acceptable thresholds of bullying, which possibly says each it needs to accidental astir this full fiasco," they add.

The inquiry's study recovered Mr Raab acted successful an "intimidating" and "aggressive" mode with officials.

While helium was overseas caput it besides said helium committed an "abuse oregon misuse of power" and that his behaviour was "humiliating" for the idiosyncratic affected.

In his resignation letter, Mr Raab says helium feels "duty bound" to judge the result of the enquiry but describes its findings arsenic "flawed".

He argues ministers indispensable beryllium capable to springiness "direct captious feedback" to elder officials "in bid to acceptable the standards and thrust the betterment the nationalist expect of us".

Another erstwhile civilian servant who worked intimately with Mr Raab says his resignation missive tells you "everything you request to know" astir his character.

"I'm definite everyone who worked for him volition enactment the irony of his constituent that ministers indispensable beryllium capable to springiness nonstop captious feedback, erstwhile feedback was the precise happening galore officials felt excessively intimated to springiness to him for fearfulness of his reaction."

Someone who advised Mr Raab astatine a elder level is arsenic damning.

"Whilst the missive contains an apology, it's 1 of the champion examples of a 'non-apology' from a curate successful caller years," they say.

"Raab's mentation of a caput of authorities and lawman premier curate is 1 that should beryllium learnt from and yet consigned to the past books.

"The level of alleviation from hard-working civilian servants who tin now, nether caller leadership, get connected with the challenging and important jobs they signed up to do, is palpable."

However, others who worked intimately with Mr Raab person defended him.

One elder civilian servant says portion immoderate of the behaviour highlighted successful the study resonated, they had ne'er had an contented with it.

"He is highly demanding, helium is direct, 1 of the things helium hates astir is wasting time. He wants radical to beryllium direct, concise, to the point, action-driven," they say.

"He works precise hard. He expects those astir him to lucifer that endeavour. He has a precise debased threshold for radical not pulling their weight. That is the slightest the payer should request of the civilian service."

Mr Raab says the enquiry has acceptable a "dangerous precedent", with the threshold for bullying acceptable "so low" it could promote "spurious complaints" and "have a chilling effect connected those driving change".

This raises absorbing questions astir the aboriginal relationships betwixt civilian servants and ministers and is apt to propulsion the spotlight connected behaviour and behaviour successful politics.

Additional reporting by Ione Wells and Becky Morton