UK Civil Service Union Leader Claims ‘Several’ Ministers Have Bullied Staff
In this Thursday, Sept. 1, 2020 file photo, Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab arrives to attend a cabinet meeting of senior government ministers at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office FCO in London.
James TweedieMinister-without-portfolio Gavin Williamson resigned last week over claims he told civil servants to “slit your throat” and “jump out of a window,” while Justice Secretary Dominic Raab is now accused of using tomatoes to intimidate his departmental staff. The leader of the Whitehall bureaucrats’ trade union has said “several” unnamed government ministers have bullied civil servants.First Division Association general secretary Dave Penman told British TV news that the system for staff to make complaints against members of the cabinet and their juniors was “broken.”Asked if it was true that a number of ministers have behaved inappropriately, he said “yes.””There are concerns raised about a number of ministers, that is essentially a constant in government,” Penman said. “It’s not just about this government. It’s every government. You know, there are dozens of ministers and stressful situations.”But he refused to single anyone out by name, saying he wanted reforms to the complaints and investigation process so claims of victimisation did not have to be leaked to the media.
WorldUK Minister Gavin Williamson Resigns From Cabinet Post Amid Scandal Over ‘Slit Your Throat’ Messages8 November, 20:34 GMTThe interview came a week after Sir Gavin Williamson, the minister without portfolio in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s cabinet, resigned over allegations he told one civil servant to “slit your throat” and another to “jump out of a window.” He is also charged with making made veiled threats against fellow Conservative MP and party chief whip Wendy Morton.Justice Secretary and deputy PM Dominic Raab has also been accused of bullying — although one incident reportedly involved him picking tomatoes out of a salad he was eating at a meeting and throwing them noisily into a plastic bag.”At any point in time, you’re inevitably going to have a situation where there are concerns raised about the conduct of ministers,” penman said. “That’s why what you’re seeing isn’t just about Dominic Raab.”Former PM Boris Johnson defended then-home secretary Priti Patel in 2020 over allegations she also bullied senior civil servants in arguments over the government’s policy of tackling people-trafficking across the English Channel.
