Rishi Sunak is ‘too weak’ to sack Dominic Raab over bullying report, Labour’s Wes Streeting says

The fact that Rishi Sunak did not sack Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab shows he is “scared of the right wing” of the Conservative Party, says Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

Raab has resigned from his ministerial positions as Deputy PM and Justice Secretary after an investigation into his behaviour upheld bullying allegations against him. Two of the eight complaints were proven, with the report saying he acted in an “intimidating”, “insulting”, and “aggressive” manner towards civil servants.

The Esher and Walton MP shared his resignation letter on Twitter, in which he criticised the inquiry by saying it both set the threshold for bullying too low and set a “dangerous precedent for the conduct of good government”. But Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary has argued that Raab, who he said has shown “no remorse or contrition”, should not have been allowed to resign - and instead should have been sacked by the Prime Minister.

Speaking to reporters in London during a conference on the NHS, Streeting said: “I think it says everything about Rishi Sunak’s judgement that he appointed Dominic Raab as Deputy PM despite these [bullying] allegations hanging in the air, and despite the fact that he was lounging around on a sunbed during the evacuations of Afghanistan.

“But it says more about Rishi Sunak that even now, after a damning report, he’s been too weak to sack Dominic Raab, [who has instead been able to leave government] saying he did nothing wrong.”

Streeting went on to argue that the reason Sunak is “too weak” to dismiss the “poor people he appoints to high office” is because he is “scared of the right wing of his party.” This, he said, is the reason Fareham MP Suella Braverman “still has a job.”

“Look at the Home Secretary,” the Ilford North MP said. “She left government for being a national security risk, and now she’s back in one of the most important, sensitive jobs in the heart of government.”

Braverman resigned as Home Secretary in October 2022 after admitting to a “mistake” which breached government security rules. Posting her resignation letter to former Prime Minister Liz Truss on Twitter, the Fareham MP wrote that she had “sent an official document from [her] personal email to a trusted parliamentary colleague.”

She admitted: “This constitutes a technical infringement of the rules.” Just a few days later, Sunak reappointed her to the same role after being made the country’s new Prime Minister.

“This is not a sensible government under Rishi Sunak,” Streeting continued. “It’s a clown show - and the public aren’t laughing. It’s time for a new government and a general election.”

Responding to his deputy’s resignation, Sunak said he accepts it with “great sadness”, and claimed there were “shortcomings” in the way the bullying allegations were dealt with. This, he argued, “negatively affected everyone involved.”

Raab also criticised the investigation, writing in his letter to the Prime Minister: “Whilst I feel duty bound to accept the outcome of the inquiry, it dismissed all but two of the claims levelled against me. I also believe that its two adverse findings are flawed and set a dangerous precedent for the conduct of good government.”

He argued that ministers “must be able to exercise direct oversight with respect to senior officials”, and that they “must be able to give critical feedback on briefings and submissions”. He also claimed that this inquiry had “set the threshold for bullying too low”.

Streeting is not the only Labour MP who has lashed out at Sunak over his handling of the bullying investigation. The party’s Deputy Leader Angela Rayner slammed the Prime Minister as “weak” - and criticised him for “failing to root out bullying from his own Cabinet” and “failing to deliver the integrity he promised.”

"Rishi Sunak was personally warned about Dominic Raab’s conduct but showed appalling judgement by choosing to appoint him as his Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary,” she said. “In just six months, this Prime Minister has already lost three senior ministers he appointed, showing himself utterly incapable of turning the page on 13 years of Tory sleaze.”

Others who have spoken out include Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain, who said Raab should resign as an MP and donate his severance payout to anti-bullying charities.