London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

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

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×