London Daily

Focus on the big picture.

Losing Dominic Raab was a bad day for Rishi Sunak

Losing Dominic Raab was a bad day for Rishi Sunak

Dominic Raab arrived to meet me in his constituency in Surrey, the trappings of office gone.

No ministerial car, no aides, no title, beyond backbench Conservative MP.

There was little in the way of contrition, although he did say he would apologise to anyone who he described as having "subjective hurt feelings."

Three very striking words - striking, as they do, at the very essence of this whole affair.

How the behaviour of someone feels to someone else.

It is in the eye, the mind, the stomach of the beholder.

Remember, complainants across three government departments thought his behaviour was unacceptable - and sufficiently so to provide testimony to this inquiry.

The report, in the round, is complex, caveated and nuanced.

In our conversation, Mr Raab sought to defend, to justify his manner and conduct - and, moreover, argue his experience was an important case study in what he saw as the failures of the relationship between that engine room of government, a civil service duty bound to be impartial, and its political masters.


'Activist' civil servants


Mr Raab's description of some civil servants as "activist" is, in this context, explosive.

Sufficiently so, some civil servants see it as a conspiracy concocted to distract attention from the criticisms he's faced.

His account, too, will provoke a wider national conversation - about what is appropriate behaviour at work in 2023.

And from the national to the local: one intriguing titbit in the interview was Dominic Raab repeatedly refusing to say if he will stand at the next election in Esher and Walton, the seat he has represented since 2010.

The Liberal Democrats are desperate to snatch the seat from him.

It is one constituency in what one party strategist described to me as a "yellow halo" of spots around London that the Lib Dems see as potential gains at the next general election.

Party leader Sir Ed Davey was there in the patch in the blink of an eye to make that case.

Back at Westminster, curiously, the prime minister - on the day he lost his long-standing ally and deputy - hasn't managed to find any of our cameras.

Would Rishi Sunak have sacked him?

Does he agree with Mr Raab's analysis?

I am told the prime minister had a busy diary, not least being caught up in meetings relating to the fighting in Sudan.


PM loses his number two


Avoiding questions now won't mean they disappear.

The day a prime minister loses their number two is a bad day in Downing Street.

But Mr Sunak is inoculated - to a degree - from outright Conservative insurrection, after the party's recent flirtation with oblivion last autumn.

Plenty of Conservatives are not surprised that after all of this Dominic Raab is out of government. They had predicted it for months.

But plenty have sympathy with his point of view.

But, taking a step back, the prime minister can't afford many days like this.

Newsletter

Related Articles

London Daily
0:00
0:00
Close
William and Kate's First Public Appearance Post-Chemotherapy
Trump Proposes Tariffs on Chinese Cars to Protect US Auto Industry
Heads of 9 post-Soviet states gather in Moscow, issue joint statement to the world
Viktor Orban expressed his view of the EU loud and clear, calling it 'a benign dictatorship at best, not a democracy.'
Controversy Over Metropolitan Police VIP Protection for Taylor Swift
Unilever Sells Russian Operations Amidst Activist Pressure
HSBC's Strategic Restructuring for Cost Savings
Sanjeev Gupta Faces Prosecution Over Missing Company Filings
Labour's Ambitious Employment Bill Aims for Worker Rights Reform
UK Maintains Non-negotiable Stance on Falklands and Gibraltar
Controversy Surrounds A75 Road Closures and 96-Mile Diversion
Crunch Time in Conservative Leadership Race
Keir Starmer's Challenges in the Wake of Sue Gray's Departure
Coroner Urges UK Government to Improve Severe ME Care
Starmer Calls for De-escalation in Middle East Amid Heightened Tensions
Chancellor Reeves Decides Against Pension Tax Hike
UK Advocates Urge Tobacco Windfall Tax and Permanent Levy
Starmer's Chief of Staff Plans Major Overhaul at Downing Street
Key Labour Thinktank Advocates New Powers for Mayors
Rachel Reeves Considers New Fiscal Rules for Infrastructure Spending
Great Britain Faces Lowest Winter Blackout Risk in Four Years
The Impact of Online Culture on Young Women: Survey Insights
Hypersonic Jet to Revolutionize Air Travel
Russian Medic Arrested for Alleged Satanism and Promoting LGBTQ Rights
UK: Chagos Islands Deal Was About Securing US Military Base
RT has converted key archive speeches delivered by Putin into spoken English using the help of AI
Walmart is now selling a new book titled The Achievements of Kamala Harris—and all the pages are blank.
Bill Gates: "6% of global emissions are cows... You can either fix the cows to stop them farting, or you can make beef without the cow."
Facilitated Communication: Miracle Tool or Manipulative Method?
The Allure of Browsing Online Property Portals: A Modern Obsession
Suspected Acid Attacker in London Bailed Amid Investigation
Tragic Channel Crossing: Four Migrants Killed
Labour Cabinet Ministers' Stances on Assisted Dying
The Influence of Tory Members on Party Leadership
UK Plans Major Overhaul of Employment Rights
UK Food Industry Lobbying Delays £1.7 Billion Plastic Packaging Tax
New UK Tipping Law Sparks Confusion Among Restaurant Staff
Debate Heats Up Over Assisted Dying Legislation in the UK
New Personalized Cancer Therapies Undergo Extensive Clinical Study
UAE Energy Minister: OPEC+ Doing a 'Noble' Job in Balancing Oil Market
Call for Wealth Tax Hikes to Curb Reform UK's Rise
Labour MP Supports Chancellor's Rejection of Wealth Tax
Debate Intensifies Over VAT Introduction for UK Private Schools
Israel Plans Retaliation Against Iran Amid Rising Regional Tensions
Norwegian Police Conclude 'Spy Whale' Hvaldimir's Death Due to Infection
Dominica Sells Citizenship to Boost Climate Resilience
Greta Thunberg Detained in Brussels During Protest Against Fossil Fuel Subsidies
UK Returns Chagos Islands to Mauritius After Decades-Long Dispute
UK Reaffirms Commitment to Overseas Territories Amid Falkland Islands Dispute
France's Silent March Supports Gisèle Pelicot: A Shocking Case
×