Dominic Raab's ex-colleagues speak out as bullying probe reaches final stages

Former colleagues of Dominic Raab person spoken retired astir their acquisition of moving with him, arsenic an enquiry into bullying claims reaches its last stages.

The probe into the allegations against Mr Raab is being led by elder lawyer Adam Tolley KC.

Dozens of people, including Mr Raab himself, person present fixed grounds to the inquiry.

The lawman premier curate and justness caput has powerfully denied bullying.

Mr Raab's grounds is present being reconciled with different witnesses, successful a motion the probe is approaching its conclusion.

Mr Tolley has been interviewing radical to stitchery evidence, some affirmative and negative, with immoderate interviews lasting much than 2 hours each.

His probe is expected to reason soon and was commissioned to found the facts. It volition past beryllium for the premier curate to justice whether his findings amusement that Mr Raab broke ministerial rules connected bullying oregon not.

The enquiry is investigating 8 ceremonial complaints from Mr Raab's clip astatine 3 authorities departments, involving astatine slightest 24 complainants.

The complaints subordinate to Mr Raab's clip arsenic justness caput and overseas caput nether Boris Johnson, and his clip arsenic Brexit caput nether Theresa May.

Dozens much radical person fixed grounds to the enquiry arsenic witnesses.

The complainants cannot talk publically portion the enquiry is ongoing, but the BBC has spoken to a fig of different radical who worked intimately with Mr Raab, who characterise his behaviour successful antithetic ways.

They wished to stay anonymous to not compromise their jobs.

Somebody who advised Mr Raab successful a elder relation successful 1 section said: "I didn't personally consciousness bullied. I did observe though what I would characterise arsenic bullying behaviour. There is nary question successful my caput astir that."

They said helium "expected precocious standards of people" but claimed helium was "pretty belittling successful presumption of however helium would spell astir those things".

"And helium would often humiliate members of his backstage bureau and/or others that are moving with him," they said.

"At a flick of a power helium could crook incredibly aggravated and beauteous violative successful the mode successful which helium talked to people."

His behaviour did not conscionable interaction colleagues, but taxpayers too, they say.

"Junior officials were, to each intents and purposes, protected from being exposed to his nastiness, his humiliation, his belittling, and truthful would not beryllium invited to spell to meetings with him.

"The effect was that helium astir apt achieved thing that nary curate oregon caput of authorities should effort to achieve, which was to unopen up those who are meant to beryllium advising him. If you don't dainty radical humanely, fairly, with respect, the implications are that you're going to get backmost prime outcomes."

One of Mr Raab's erstwhile parliamentary staffers says helium was not a bully, but that reports astir his behaviour person resonated with what they witnessed.

"There were a fistful of occasions wherever I observed him marque a subordinate of unit cry, due to the fact that helium was not blessed with their work. That was astir apt 1 of the things that I recovered astir uncomfortable," they said.

"I deliberation if a workfellow cries and they travel backmost to their table and they're inactive fretting, and that happens much than once, past I deliberation anybody should recognise that idiosyncratic is wounded from that interaction."

"If a subordinate of his unit had delivered immoderate work, which helium didn't deliberation was astatine the modular it should person been, helium would teardrop it isolated - frankly virtually astatine times. I did observe that," they added.

"The crushed I near was the strength of the job. I deliberation some professionally and emotionally."

Another parliamentary staffer that Mr Raab's bureau enactment america successful interaction with said they lone had bully things to accidental astir him.

A antithetic official, who has fixed grounds to the enquiry and worked with Mr Raab successful aggregate departments, said adjacent successful the astir challenging experiences they had "never seen him curse oregon rise his voice".

"He was ever precise focused connected his job, but ever ace nice, much perceptive than you'd realise," they said.

On proceeding the quality of the enquiry they said: "I was bittersweet due to the fact that everybody's acquisition is intelligibly antithetic and it didn't correlate astatine each to my acquisition successful the slightest… I deliberation radical would admit he's hard enactment due to the fact that helium is simply a perfectionist and helium volition spell supra and beyond to present for a section helium wants to marque changes [to]."

From radical the BBC has spoken to, Mr Raab's behaviour seems to person had antithetic impacts connected antithetic people. At times, akin descriptions of his behaviour are characterised precise differently. That is the situation for the lawyer investigating him.

The study of the probe volition beryllium made public. Mr Raab has said helium volition resign if helium is recovered to person been a bully, a judgement Prime Minister Rishi Sunak volition person to marque erstwhile presented with the facts.

He told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg helium was assured helium was not a bully and "behaved professionally throughout".

His spokesperson has said that Mr Raab has been "very wide that helium has ever acted with professionalism and integrity, that helium has ne'er shouted oregon sworn, that helium has enjoyed beardown moving relationships with a scope of fantastic civilian servants, and that helium volition code each allegations enactment to him successful the just and ceremonial mounting of the autarkic enquiry that helium called for".