Dominic Raab to stand down as MP following bullying scandal
Dominic Raab is set to stand down as an MP at the next general election in the wake of a bullying scandal which saw him quit Rishi Sunak’s government.
The former deputy prime minister confirmed his plans to step down from his Esher and Walton seat, which he has held since 2010, on Monday night.
In a resignation letter seen by the Telegraph dated May 19, Raab reportedly wrote about concerns for his young family due to the pressures of the job.
The paper said he wrote: “I will continue to carry out all my responsibilities to my constituents, and provide every support in campaigning, so that we win here next year – which I am confident we can do under this Prime Minister’s leadership.”
It follows his resignation as justice secretary in April after an independent bullying inquiry into allegations from civil servants found he had acted in an intimidating and aggressive manner.
Lawyer Adam Tolley KC found in a five-month probe Raab engaged in an “abuse or misuse of power” that “undermines or humiliates” while he was in the job of foreign secretary.
And he intimidated staff by criticising work as “utterly useless” and “woeful” work, while justice secretary, the senior law found while investigating eight formal complaints.
Raab won his Surrey constituency by a slim margin of just 2,743 votes in the 2019 election – and it is a key Lib Dem target at the next ballot, which must come before January 2025.