Labour has demanded a ‘full-scale investigation’ into Ministers’ use of private emails, after it was revealed Dominic Raab used a private inbox for government business.
The Deputy Prime Minister is under mounting pressure after a third formal bullying complaint was lodged against him.
He now faces three investigations into his behaviour, relating to his time in charge of three different government departments.
He denies all allegations of bullying made against him.
But on Saturday night Angela Rayner wrote to the Information Commissioner to call for a probe into private email use by senior ministers.
Ms Rayner said: “Not only does Dominic Raab face serious bullying allegations, but now we hear he was warned by officials about his use of private emails but ignored the warnings.
“After the Home secretary's resignation over national security breaches, it appears that Ministers have learned no lessons.”
Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, admitted to using private emails to share government documents - which led to her resignation, before Rishi Sunak re-hired her just days later.
The Deputy Labour Leader is also calling on the Cabinet Office to carry out a cross-government audit of the use of private emails to get to the bottom of whether Departments are following their guidance and reveal the scale and extent of their use.
The Information Commissioner reprimanded the Department of Health in July, after they failed to follow Cabinet Office email guidance during the pandemic.
“This Government’s approach to the use of private emails to conduct government business risks our national security and speaks to a wider culture of carelessness when it comes to protecting important government information,” Ms Rayner added.
“The Cabinet Office must take responsibility and deal with this apparent security risk occurring all over the government as well as urgently updating their decade-old guidance on the use of private emails.”
Angela Rayner's letter to the Information Commissioner in full
Dear John,
Thank you to you and your team for your swift responses to my previous inquiries. I am getting in touch once again to raise the issue of private email use by Government Ministers. I understand that you concluded your investigation into ministerial use of private email accounts at the Department of Health and Social Care. However, I believe the revelations of this week are sufficiently concerning to warrant further investigation by your office.
It has been reported by Newsnight that another senior Cabinet Minister, Dominic Raab, routinely used a private inbox throughout his controversial ministerial career, including at two separate departments and as recently as 2021. The BBC reported that officials in his department issued multiple warnings to the Deputy Prime Minister not to use his email in this way, suggesting that senior officials had particular concerns about his conduct. As you know, this follows the resignation of Suella Braverman as Home Secretary last month in part after admitting a breach of the Ministerial Code involving use of her private email to share government documents.
In light of these developments, it appears that the potential misuse of private emails by Ministers stretches beyond just the Department for Health and Social Care, warranting a full scale and cross-government investigation into Ministers’ use of private email or other personal channels for official business.
I hope you will now consider launching a more comprehensive investigation across all departments in Government to establish how widespread this malpractice could be, any breach of rules, and necessary remedies to comply with their obligations.
Moreover, I am sure you agree it is time the Cabinet Office finally updated its’ decade-old guidance on the use of private emails, as your earlier report recommended, and Ministers have previously pledged to do.
I am concerned that the lackadaisical approach to the use of private inboxes taken by the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Secretary is part of a much wider problem across government. Their conduct raises security concerns about using insecure channels for potentially sensitive information, the potential for personal data to be leaked, and the suspicion that it is a means to avoid government transparency.
I understand you are not in a position to provide running commentary such issues, but I hope you will be able to confirm if this matter falls within your jurisdiction and what steps can be taken to ensure it is addressed.
Many thanks to you and your team in advance. I will be placing this letter in the public domain. Yours sincerely,
Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP
Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
