Rishi Sunak has been accused of “dither” as he delayed a decision over Dominic Raab’s fate after receiving the findings of an inquiry into whether the Deputy Prime Minister bullied officials.
Mr Raab has read the report handed to Downing Street on Thursday morning and maintains that he has not mistreated colleagues or broken the ministerial code.
A source close to Mr Raab said the Prime Minister has not asked him to resign and denied the pair had held talks over his future.
No 10 had promised that senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC’s report and the Prime Minister’s verdict on the eight formal allegations would be published “swiftly”.
But after Mr Sunak spent the day with the report it emerged no announcement would be made before today (Friday).
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said: “While the Prime Minister dithers and delays, trying to summon up the guts to sack his own deputy, working people are battling the worst cost-of-living crisis for a generation – food bills and mortgage rates are rising, wages are stagnating, and too many of us are waiting months and even years for health treatment.
“While the Tories are yet again mired in chaos, Labour is focused on cutting the cost of living, cutting crime and cutting waiting lists with our long-term plan to give Britain its future back.”
No-one knows what is going to happen now, there are no rules associated with any investigation, there are no rights for anyone who raises a complaint
Dave Penman, the general secretary of the FDA union that represents senior civil servants, including complainants who have levelled allegations against Mr Raab, called the delay a “farce”.
“Imagine being a civil servant who has been brave enough to raise a complaint against the Deputy Prime Minister, sitting in a government department and you’re watching this farce play out live on television, not knowing what your fate is going to be about the complaints you have raised,” Mr Penman said.
“No-one knows what is going to happen now, there are no rules associated with any investigation, there are no rights for anyone who raises a complaint.”
The reasons behind the delay were unclear, but a No 10 source said Mr Sunak was “taking time to go through the report thoroughly”.
People will be fed up with this dither and delay from Rishi Sunak. It feels like almost every week there is an issue with sleaze and scandal where Rishi Sunak is either implicated himself or too weak to get to grips with it
Mr Sunak was maintaining “full confidence” in his ally, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said after receiving Mr Tolley’s findings.
Downing Street could not say whether the report and the Prime Minister’s verdict would even be published today/on Friday.
Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: “People will be fed up with this dither and delay from Rishi Sunak.
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