When an inquiry by the prime minister’s ethics advisor into the tax affairs of Nadhim Zahawi found that the then-Conservative Party Chair had committed a serious breach of the ministerial code, he was dismissed within minutes.
When a previous standards chief, Sir Alex Allan, concluded that then-home secretary Priti Patel had breached the ministerial code over bullying, she was backed by Boris Johnson and it was Sir Alex who resigned – in protest. (For further reading, check out what the Institute for Government’s Dr Catherine Haddon wrote at the time).
In other words, the ministerial code is less a government bible and more akin to monopoly – in that everyone picks and chooses their own rules.
The inquiry into allegations of bullying against justice secretary and deputy prime minister Dominic Raab is with Rishi Sunak, but there is no word yet as to its contents or what will happen next. At the time of writing, all we know is the prime minister is “carefully considering” his next steps and that Number 10 has pledged to “swiftly” publish the report.
Sunak is understandably loath to lose Raab. The justice secretary is both a loyal supporter and someone who agrees with the prime minister on policy – or is at least prepared to enthusiastically defend government policy on the airwaves. Furthermore, Raab’s departure would necessitate at least a mini-reshuffle only weeks before what are expected to be bad local elections for the Tories, after which a wider reshuffle may be expected.
If past statements are anything to go by, in February Sunak said that “when I’m presented with conclusive independent findings that someone in my government has not acted with the integrity or standards that I would expect of them, I won’t hesitate to take swift and decisive action.”
Of course, when Gavin Williamson resigned last year over accusations of bullying (it has been alleged that the former minister had told a senior civil servant to “slit your throat”) Sunak’s said he accepted the decision “with great sadness” while thanking Williamson for his “personal support and loyalty”.
Neither result – losing Raab or keeping him in the face of a critical inquiry – is ideal for the prime minister. It eats into his reputation among the electorate for ending the chaos sparked by his predecessors. It further damages relations between the civil service and ministers. It is ultimately a distraction from whatever else Sunak wants to talk about.
But given upcoming local elections, the King’s coronation and with food prices rising at their fastest rate since 1977, it is not obvious that the public will notice much either way.
In make your own analogy news, elsewhere in the paper Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship – the largest and most powerful space rocket ever developed – has exploded minutes after blasting off. However, the reusable space vehicle was deemed a success as it cleared the tower.
In the comment pages, Robert Fox predicts Ukraine is planning a summer offensive to put Russians to the sword. Nancy Durrant warns the Drake deepfake has exposed a music industry unprepared for AI. Euan McColm says Scottish politics is now a freeze frame of a car-crash. While Meghann Murdoch fears that between labour shortages, soaring material costs and high demand, it’s back to DIY.
And finally, David Ellis has been blind tasting four celebrity tequilas, and lived to write up the experience in a SEO-friendly 500 words.
