London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 17, 2025

Dominic Raab pays own legal fees for bullying probe

Dominic Raab pays own legal fees for bullying probe

Deputy PM Dominic Raab has paid his own legal fees during an investigation into allegations he bullied officials.
Mr Raab's spokesman said it was "not an option" for his legal representation to be paid by the government.

This is despite taxpayers footing the bill for Boris Johnson's lawyers in the Partygate inquiry, which so far runs to £220,000.

Downing Street is facing questions about why Mr Johnson is getting government support.

Rishi Sunak's spokesman said the former prime minister was being investigated over government business when he was a minister.

He argued that this was different to Mr Raab's case and meant that Mr Johnson was entitled to government support under an "established process".

The PM's spokesman denied both men were being investigated over their behaviour and were therefore subject to the same rules.

Mr Johnson - whose legal team is headed by top barrister Lord Pannick KC - is facing claims he deliberately lied to Parliament over Covid-rule breaking in Downing Street when he was prime minister.

The Commons Privileges Committee is currently deciding whether he is guilty of a contempt of Parliament. Mr Johnson was last month grilled for nearly four hours by the committee, with a lawyer at his side.

Mr Raab is under investigation over eight formal complaints about his behaviour as foreign secretary, Brexit secretary and during his first stint as justice secretary.

He has denied allegations of bullying and said he has always "behaved professionally" - but has previously said he would resign if the inquiry finds against him.

The bullying probe is being carried out by lawyer Adam Tolley KC, who was appointed by Mr Sunak in November.

Mr Tolley's report is expected to land on the prime minister's desk shortly. He will then decide - based on the evidence in it - whether Mr Raab has broken the ministerial code and must be sacked.

News that Mr Raab had paid for his own legal advice was included in a much-delayed update to the register of ministerial interests, published by the government in the wake of controversy over Mr Sunak's financial transparency.

Mr Raab's entry in the register reads: "The minister has engaged lawyers at his own expense in relation to the investigation being conducted by Adam Tolley KC."

Ministers are meant to register shareholdings, directorships, investments or any other financial arrangement that could lead to a conflict of interest.

It is unusual for a minister to declare an expense on the register, as Mr Raab has done.

A Cabinet Office source said ministers can also use the register to declare "anything that is relevant to their work as a minister".
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
×