The deputy PM has been under investigation for alleged bullying. (Picture: Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock)
Ex-foreign secretary Dominic Raab was returned to government in the wake of Rishi Sunak becoming Prime Minister, being handed a number of roles in the cabinet reshuffle, including Deputy Prime Minister.
However, staff in the Mr Raab’s office previously claimed to have been ‘bullied or harassed’, according to leaked documents.
The Deputy wrote to the PM ‘to request an independent investigation’ into complaints made against him – with the findings reportedly delivered to Mr Sunak today (April 20).
Mr Raab, a vocal supporter of Rishi Sunak, has been serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice for the second time, having previously held the titles under Boris Johnson, including during the then-PM’s near-fatal brush with Covid-19.
So, as the Prime Minister weighs up Mr Raab’s political future, just who is Dominic Raab and what do we know about him?
How old is Dominic Raab and how did he get into politics?
Dominic Raab is 48 years old.
He was born on February 25 1974 in Buckinghamshire, to Jean, a clothes buyer, and Peter, a food manager for Marks and Spencer who came to Britain at the age of six from Czechoslovakia, after his family fled the Nazi invasion.
Mr Raab is once again in the Cabinet (Picture: Jack Taylor / Getty Images)
Mr Raab studied law at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, before completing his studies at Cambridge, and began his career as a solicitor, spending six years in the profession before he moved into politics.
He first worked as an aide to David Davis MP, and then to shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve, before he was elected to Parliament in 2010, in the Conservative safe seat of Esher and Walton.
What is Dominic Raab’s political background?
Mr Raab previously took over the job of Brexit Secretary from David Davis in July 2018, having been actively in favour of leaving the EU during the referendum campaign two years earlier.
However, he resigned from the post in November of that year, over his disapproval of the cabinet’s position on the draft Brexit withdrawal deal.
Mr Raab was previously Brexit secretary (Picture: PA)
He stood for the post of Conservative party leader following Theresa May’s resignation in 2019, losing out in the second round of voting behind Sajid Javid – and going on to endorse Boris Johnson in his campaign for the job.
After becoming PM Mr Johnson appointed Mr Raab Foreign Secretary, as well as giving him the additional title of First Secretary Of State.
During the pandemic Boris Johnson announced that Mr Raab would be deputising for him in the event that he became incapacitated with Covid – and he did indeed take over after Mr Johnson became ill with the virus in 2020, with the Prime Minister requiring treatment in intensive care.
In the 2021 cabinet reshuffle, he was moved to the posts of Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor.
Following a stint on the backbenches under the leadership of Liz Truss, he was re-appointed to the posts in Rishi Sunak’s ministry.
Who is Dominic Raab married to and do they have children?
Mr Raab is married to Brazilian marketing executive Erika Rey.
The couple, who met in 2002 and were married in 2004, met at a party when Mr Raab was working for the Foreign Office and Erika was a student.
‘It was an instant attraction,’ Erika previously told The Sun. ‘My best friend married his best friend as well, which is really nice.’
The couple have two sons, Peter and Joshua, and they live in Thames Ditton, Surrey – which is in his constituency of Esher and Walton.
MORE : Raab writes to PM requesting investigation into two complaints against him
MORE : Dominic Raab’s staff were ‘bullied and harassed’, leaked documents reveal
Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Share your views in the comments below
Mr Raab’s political future currently hangs in the balance.