Saturday 19 November 2022 07:44 PM Raab's refusal to speak to staff caused blockage during Afghanistan evacuation, ... trends now

Days after Dominic Raab asked the PM for an independent investigation over bullying allegations against him, he is today facing fresh questions- after it was reported that his refusal to speak to Foreign Office staff he viewed as 'time-wasters' allegedly caused a 'blockage' during the evacuation from Afghanistan last year.

Raab was the subject of a fresh report in the Guardian on claims that his working relationship with officials had a negative impact on Foreign Office efforts with his oversight of the evacuation amid the Taliban's power-grab coming in for heavy criticism. 

It is understood that Raab denies the latest claims, which suggest that ahead of the final stages of the UK withdrawal from Afghanistan some decisions were 'delayed and backed up' as the then-foreign secretary allowed only a small number of senior staff to engage with him and his private office. 

According to the publication, Raab described some senior Foreign Office officials as 'time wasters.' A source said that quick decisions were needed but 'we could not get him to listen to this message, let alone act on it.'  

The source said that the blockage was 'very costly.'  When the Taliban swept across the country in August 2021, Raab was on holiday in Crete and was seen relaxing on a beach on the Greek island as members of the militant group entered Kabul, although he insisted that he was in touch with officials and ministerial colleagues.

The allegations come as Raab already faces an investigation into his conduct after two formal complaints were made against him from his time as foreign and justice secretary. Mr Raab's later spell at the Ministry of Justice followed his demotion from foreign secretary in September last year, after widespread criticism of his handling of the Afghanistan crisis.

Raab responded to the allegations of bullying on Wednesday, telling the Commons that he was 'confident' he has behaved 'professionally.'

Despite the claims, Downing Street has also said that Mr Sunak still has full confidence in his deputy PM. 

After Raab referred himself for an investigation, Mr Sunak wrote in a letter to him on Wednesday that 'integrity, professionalism and accountability are core values of this Government' and agreed that a probe was the 'right course of action'. 

The Deputy PM had written to Mr Sunak: 'I have just been notified that two separate complaints have formally been made against me, in parallel, from my time as foreign secretary and my first tenure as justice secretary, which ended in September of this year.

 'I am, therefore, writing to request that you commission an independent investigation into the claims as soon as possible. 'I will co-operate fully and respect whatever outcome you decide.' 

He also told him that he had  'never tolerated bullying, and always sought to reinforce and empower the teams of civil servants working in my respective departments'. 

Mr Raab is understood to reject the allegations in relation to Afghanistan, with it said that senior officials were responsible for the flow of information to him and he did not pick and choose who he wanted to hear from but rather followed the advice given to him.

MailOnline contacted Mr Raab's spokesman for comment.  

It comes after Philip Rycroft, the former permanent secretary to the Department for Exiting the European Union had also raised concerns about Mr Raab's behaviour during his time as Brexit secretary with the then-cabinet Mark Sedwill, the Guardian reported.

Also, while Raab was foreign secretary, he was reportedly warned about his behaviour towards officials. Lord McDonald, the senior civil servant at the Foreign Office, raised the concerns with him and had several conversations with the head of the propriety and ethics team (PET) at the Cabinet Office between 2019 and 2020 about the issue. 

Speaking on LBC on Monday, McDonald acknowledged that allegations Mr Raab could be a bully were plausible.  Asked by LBC radio if characterisation of Mr Raab as someone who could bully and around whom bullying could happen, he replied: 'Yes.'