At the following general election, Dominic Raab, who quit the Cabinet last month following an investigation into bullying, would resign as a member of parliament.
On Monday night, the former deputy prime minister and justice secretary told the PA news agency that he would be leaving.
He resigned from Rishi Sunak’s Cabinet last month following claims of bullying made by government employees.
He was found to have behaved in a way that could have amounted to bullying when it came to officials, according to an independent examination by Adam Tolley KC.
The upcoming election, which is scheduled for January 2025, will not see Mr. Raab challenge his seat in Esher and Walton, which he has held since 2010.
The Surrey constituency is a crucial target for the Liberal Democrats in the upcoming national election because Mr. Raab narrowly won it by 2,743 votes in 2019.
Dominic Raab said, “I have become increasingly concerned over the last few years about the pressure the job has placed on my young family.”
He joins a number of senior Tories who have announced their resignations after a decline in the polls, including former chancellor Sajid Javid and ex-environment secretary George Eustice.
Around 30 Conservatives are leaving the Commons, including former health secretary Matt Hancock, who was a Conservative until he lost the whip over his I’m A Celebrity performance, and rising star Dehenna Davison.
Mr. Raab reportedly explained his choice in a letter to the head of his local Conservative Association that was obtained by the Telegraph by citing worries about the strain on his family.
“I have become increasingly concerned over the last few years about the pressure the job has placed on my young family,” he wrote in the letter dated May 19, according to the newspaper.
“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.”
After Mr. Tolley’s inquiry found Mr. Raab had used his position as foreign secretary to “abuse or misuse power” that “undermines or humiliates,” Mr. Raab was demoted to the backbenches. Additionally, it was discovered that while he was the justice secretary, he intimidated employees by criticizing their “utterly useless” and “woeful” work.
Eight official complaints regarding Mr. Raab’s behavior during his time as the foreign and Brexit secretaries, as well as during his prior position as the minister of justice, were investigated over the course of five months by the senior lawyer.
Even though Mr. Tolley refrained from using the word “bullying,” his conclusions were in line with what he claimed would constitute a violation of the ministerial code.
Mr. Raab kept his word that he would resign from the Cabinet if any allegations of bullying were shown to be genuine.
The karate black belt, however, refused to give up, calling the investigation’s “Kafkaesque saga” into question and asserting that it had “set a dangerous precedent” by establishing a “low” bar for bullying.
In a widely panned outburst that sparked worries about a breakdown in trust between ministers and civil servants, the 49-year-old said he had been told that “unionized officials” were targeting him.
His retirement brings to an end both a colorful political career in which he was no stranger to controversy and his aspirations of one day assuming the position of No. 10 in government.
After being accused of being “missing in action” by being on vacation in Crete during the 2021 pullout of Afghanistan, Mr. Raab, who unsuccessfully ran to succeed Theresa May as leader of the Tories in 2019, was downgraded from his position as foreign secretary.
