Civil service union urges complaints reform amid bullying claims

The union for senior civil servants has urged Rishi Sunak to reform the ministerial complaints system, amid allegations of bullying by ministers.

In a letter, Dave Penman of the FDA said a more transparent and independent system is needed to stop a "drip feed" of claims about ministers' conduct.

He does not mention Dominic Raab but it comes after bullying allegations were made against the justice secretary.

The PM has said he is unaware of any formal complaints against his minister.

A spokesman for Mr Raab also reiterated that the justice secretary and deputy prime minister had not been made aware of any formal complaints against him. He added that Mr Raab "holds himself to the highest standards of professionalism" and enjoys good working relationships across Whitehall.

FDA general secretary Mr Penman says there has been increasing scrutiny surrounding the conduct of ministers and in particular around accusations of bullying.

"It can come as no surprise to you that civil servants have little confidence in the current system for addressing bullying and harassment, given the experience of the last few years.

"Accusations are making their way into the public domain at a later date, rather than being dealt with at the time.

"It is clear from the evidence from our members that concerns have been raised and are known about within the civil service, but there is little confidence that raising a formal complaint will result in action."

He said: "The result is a toxic work culture that will impact on the ability to deliver good government for the public, blight the careers and lives of those that suffer from bullying or harassment and ultimately cast a shadow over the entire government."

Mr Penman urged the prime minister to appoint an independent adviser on ministers' interests, to replace Lord Geidt who quit in June.

No10 has said that there is an established procedure for civil servants to make complaints and that Mr Sunak does intend to appoint a new adviser on ministerial standards.

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said: "The prime minister's promised appointment of an ethics watchdog is now long overdue leaving his pledge to bring integrity to his government lying in tatters.

"Just weeks after he was installed as prime minister there is already an overflowing in-tray of fresh accusations of ministerial misconduct."

The BBC has been told a number of civil servants raised concerns about Mr Raab's alleged conduct, but these have not constituted formal complaints.

According to Bloomberg, Simon Case - the most senior civil servant - had been told of alleged "abrasive behaviour" by Mr Raab during his previous stint as a senior member of government

And speaking to LBC, the former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office, Lord Simon McDonald, suggested bullying allegations were "plausible" and described Mr Raab as a "tough boss".

Questions about Mr Raab's conduct come less than a week after Sir Gavin Williamson was force to step down as a government minister amid bullying allegations. Sir Gavin said he "refuted" how his conduct had been characterised and added that he would clear himself of "any wrongdoing".