London, Thanasis Gavos

Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab submitted his resignation from the British government in a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday morning.

His resignation comes after the completion of a months-long investigation by an independent lawyer into allegations that Mr. Raab bullied and psychologically abused subordinates in various of the ministries in which he has served.

The conclusion of the investigation by lawyer Adam Tolley was delivered to Mr Sunak at midday on Thursday. As Mr. Raab reveals in his resignation letter, two of the bullying complaints were found to be well-founded.

He continues to deny the accusations against him, calling the finding “wrong” and warning that it “sets a dangerous precedent for the conduct of good governance” and for filing “false complaints” as it sets the bar “too low” for complaints of intimidation against any government official.

Mr Raab was appointed to the two government posts he has held to date when Mr Sunak won the internal party process to succeed Liz Truss last October.

The allegations against him came to light in November, with former subordinates speaking of a “culture of fear” he had created, with angry outbursts and derogatory comments. In total, the complaints against him reached 24.

Denying the allegations, he himself called for an independent investigation into them, promising to resign if the complainants were vindicated.

The development also puts pressure on the prime minister about what he knew, with Downing Street having said Mr Sunak was not aware of “official allegations” against his deputy.

In January Mr Sunak was forced to sack Conservative Party chairman Nadeem Zahawi over revelations of tax irregularities.