British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab announced his resignation on Friday after an independent report found that he had morally harassed civil servants. Raab, who also served as justice minister, sent a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in which he said he was resigning from the government. The investigation was launched after eight complaints about his behavior when he was foreign minister and Brexit minister, as well as during an earlier stint at the justice ministry. Raab has denied the allegations of bullying, which have drawn widespread criticism from the opposition.
The report, which has not yet been made public, rejected all but two of the complaints, according to Raab. However, he decided to resign because he pledged to do so if it was proven that he had morally harassed civil servants.
The minister criticized the report and said it set a dangerous precedent for the government’s work. Raab is the third minister to resign from Sunak’s government in the wake of various allegations, undermining the conservative prime minister’s pledge to show integrity, professionalism, and accountability in his tenure. Raab’s resignation comes at an inopportune time for the Conservatives, two weeks before local elections, which are expected to be difficult for a party that has been in power for 13 years.