Ministers’ behaviour to staff ‘deeply corrosive’, says Dominic Raab’s former adviser

Former Foreign Office chief Moazzam Malik said he had seen bad behaviour over 25 years as a civil servant

Unfair behaviour from ministers is damaging government policymaking, meaning civil servants may feel afraid to give frank advice, a former senior adviser to Dominic Raab has said.

Raab is under investigation over eight separate complaints across three ministerial departments. The inquiry into his behaviour by the independent investigator Adam Tolley KC is likely to be complete within the next month. The probe will only establish the specific facts" surrounding the claims, on which Rishi Sunak will then rule.