Member of Parliament Raab was elected to Parliament at the
2010 general election as MP for
Esher and Walton with a vote share of 58.9% and a majority of 18,593. In July 2010, Raab criticised the government for opting into the EU directive on the
European Investigation Order, arguing it would strain operational policing resources, and would dilute safeguards protecting British citizens from misuse of personal data and guaranteeing a fair trial. Raab came to media attention in August 2010, after requesting that the pressure group
38 Degrees remove his parliamentary email address from their website, arguing that lobby groups sending or coordinating 'clone emails' designed to deluge MPs' inboxes detracted from their ability to correspond with constituents and help those in real need. 38 Degrees said that the email address is paid for by taxpayers' money and is in the public domain, thus they have every right to host it on their website and use it for campaigning. In April 2011, he presented an ultimately unsuccessful
Ten Minute Rule Bill proposing that emergency services and transport unions should be required by law to ensure that strike votes receive 50% support of union members. Raab argued that reform was needed to prevent "militant union bosses" holding the "hard working majority" to ransom. In January 2012, Raab spoke in support of the coalition government's plans to cut the
budget deficit, expand
academy schools, repeal the
Identity Cards Act 2006, and enact a Freedom Bill. On 7 March 2012, Raab opened a debate in the House of Commons on
Sergei Magnitsky and Impunity for Gross Human Rights Abuses, calling on the UK government to bring forward legislative proposals that would allow it to impose visa bans and asset freezes on state officials responsible for gross human rights abuses against individuals. The motion was supported by three former Foreign Secretaries and two former Foreign Ministers and had cross-party support and was passed unanimously by MPs. On 30 January 2014, Raab proposed an amendment to the Immigration Bill to deport all prisoners given a sentence of a year or more. It was defeated, but allowed 99 members to voice that change was necessary to prevent immigrants convicted of crimes from using the
ECHR as support to remain in the UK. At the
2015 general election, Raab was re-elected as MP for Esher and Walton with an increased vote share of 62.9% and an increased majority of 28,616. After the election, he was appointed
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the
Ministry of Justice under
Michael Gove, with responsibility for human rights questions. In September 2015, in this capacity, he addressed representatives of the 46 other member states of the
Council of Europe on the question of the UK's blanket ban on prisoner voting. Since being elected Raab has campaigned for fairer funding for local services in
Elmbridge, stronger local democracy in the running of community hospitals in
Cobham,
Walton and
Molesey, more visible and responsive policing, and against the construction of
an M25 service station at
Downside. At the snap
2017 general election, Raab was again re-elected, with a decreased vote share of 58.6% and a decreased majority of 23,298. In February 2018, Raab advertised for an unpaid intern just ahead of a
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) publication responding to the Taylor review on insecure work. The BEIS report criticised "exploitative unpaid internships", saying "an employer cannot avoid paying someone the minimum wage simply by calling them an 'intern' or saying that they are doing an internship." In the
2018 cabinet reshuffle Raab was appointed
Minister of State for Housing and Planning. Raab was again re-elected at the
2019 general election with a decreased vote share of 49.4% and a decreased majority of 2,743.
Libel case In August 2007, while Raab was working in the office of David Davis MP, he signed a
compromise agreement with Davis and a female employee who was intending to bring an
employment tribunal claim. The agreement contained a confidentiality clause. In January 2011,
The Mail on Sunday published an article about the case and Raab subsequently sued the newspaper for libel, arguing that the article insinuated that he had "bullied and sexually discriminated against" the young woman causing her "to become traumatised, to feel worthless and to leave a job which she had otherwise enjoyed", and that the £20,000 she had been paid as part of the compromise agreement was "hush money to keep [his] appalling behaviour secret".
EU referendum campaign Raab was an active campaigner in the
2016 EU membership referendum, advocating that Britain should leave the
European Union. He said in an interview that it would be better for the British economy to leave: "We'll be better off if we're freed up to trade more energetically with the growth markets like Latin America and Asia. I think it will be good for job creation and also cut prices in the stores." He also argued that there was too much waste and corruption in the EU. During the Brexit campaign, Raab repeatedly argued that there was no doubt that the UK would get a trade deal with the EU.
Westminster dossier In late October 2017, a dossier listing allegations of a mainly sexual nature against several dozen Conservative MPs made internally by party researchers was circulated at Westminster and amongst journalists. Raab wrote on his website at the beginning of November that his entry made a false accusation of an "Injunction for inappropriate behaviour with a woman". He commented: "I have never been served with any injunction for anything. Nor have I ever sought one". It was "false and malicious" to make "any insinuation that I have engaged in anything resembling sexual harassment, sexually abusive behaviour or lewd remarks". He believed the dossier itself was a "form of harassment and intimidation". The
UK Statistics Authority asked Raab to publish the evidence for his claim. A document published by the
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government shows that the finding was based on an out-of-date model that had never been intended for this kind of analysis. Raab defended the model and said: "I did indeed say care was needed with the data, and I was right that immigration put average prices up by 20%. We need a balanced approach."
Brexit Secretary , the
Chief Minister of Gibraltar, in September 2018 On 9 July 2018, following the resignation of
David Davis, Raab was appointed
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union. Two weeks later, May announced that she would take control of negotiations with the European Union, while Raab would deputise for her and oversee domestic preparations for Brexit. In November 2018, Raab was criticised by Labour's shadow Brexit minister,
Jenny Chapman, after Raab said that he "hadn't quite understood the full extent" of how much UK trade relies on the
Dover–Calais crossing. On 15 November 2018, Raab announced his resignation as Brexit Secretary, citing his disapproval over the
Cabinet position on the draft
Brexit withdrawal agreement. According to a
BBC News report, Raab was concerned with "two major and fatal flaws" in the draft agreement, namely that the proposed terms "threaten the integrity of the United Kingdom" and that "they would lead to an indefinite if not permanent situation where the UK is locked into a regime with no say over the rules being applied, with no exit mechanism", flaws which would prove "damaging for the economy but devastating for public trust in our democracy". While subsequently describing May's deal as worse than
remaining in the EU, he voted in favour of it at the occasion of the third vote on the withdrawal agreement on 29 March 2019. He described the
Irish backstop as "undemocratic and [...] something that will have to be removed." Following his resignation, Raab defended the position that the UK should not pay the so-called
Brexit divorce bill (amounting to around £39 billion) in the event of a
no-deal Brexit. This bill reflects commitments which the UK entered into for the EU's
Multiannual Financial Framework for the years 2014–2020 and so according to some interpretations is not linked to Britain's exit from the European Union. The House of Lords alternatively found that the UK would not be liable for such payments. In June 2019, unnamed EU sources claimed that Raab had been nicknamed "The Turnip" in Brussels, a play on
raap, the
Dutch word for the vegetable, suggesting EU dissatisfaction with his negotiation strategy.
2019 Conservative Party leadership election On 25 May 2019, Raab announced he was standing in the
Conservative leadership election after
Theresa May announced her resignation. In the second round of voting, on 18 June, Raab failed to obtain the required minimum number of 33 votes, winning 30 and finishing in sixth place, behind
Sajid Javid. After being eliminated, he endorsed the frontrunner
Boris Johnson, who subsequently won the contest.
First Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary in Washington, D.C., August 2019 in January 2021 in Brussels in April 2021 On 24 July 2019,
Boris Johnson appointed Raab
Foreign Secretary, succeeding
Jeremy Hunt, and handed him the additional title
First Secretary of State. On arrival at the
Foreign Office, Raab said: "I'm hugely humbled to take on this role at this time and excited about the opportunities that lie ahead." In 2019, the
International Court of Justice in
The Hague ruled that the United Kingdom must transfer the
Chagos Archipelago to
Mauritius as they were
not legally separated from the latter in 1965. In its statement rejecting the ruling, the Foreign Office said: "The United Kingdom has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814." The shadow foreign secretary,
Lisa Nandy, in a letter to Raab said the UK position "is damaging to Britain's reputation, undermines your credibility and moral authority". Raab stood in for Johnson at
Prime Minister's Questions on 2 October 2019, as
First Secretary of State. On 3 January 2020, the high-level Iranian General
Qasem Soleimani was
assassinated by the United States, which considerably heightened the existing tensions between the two countries. Raab backed the strike, describing the American action as self-defence. He said that his government had "always recognised the aggressive threat posed by the Iranian Quds force". Raab supported Johnson's decision to allow China's
Huawei to build part of UK's
5G network despite US and Australian opposition. On 23 March, during the
coronavirus pandemic, the government confirmed that Raab, as First Secretary of State, was to deputise for Johnson if he became "incapacitated" due to
COVID-19. On 6 April, after Johnson was admitted to an
intensive care unit due to his illness with COVID-19, Raab was asked to deputise for Johnson. In April 2020, Raab was questioned in the first two sessions of virtual
Prime Minister's Questions by new Labour Leader
Keir Starmer. In April 2020, Raab warned that the UK cannot go back to "business as usual" with China after the end of the
COVID-19 pandemic. On 16 June, it was announced by the Prime Minister that Raab would absorb the responsibilities of the
Secretary of State for International Development in September 2020 upon the formation of a joint department called the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. His brief changed to Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on 2 September, and he said that the UK would continue to spend 0.7% of its national income on foreign aid. After the 30 June 2020 imposition by the
Xi Jinping regime of the
national security law in Hong Kong, Raab described the following day in the Commons what he saw as a "grave and deeply disturbing" event, dissected the affront to the
Sino-British Joint Declaration in the Commons, and announced a new chapter in
Hong Kong–United Kingdom relations with substantial changes to the idea of
British National (Overseas) permits. Raab did not rule out boycotting the
2022 Winter Olympics over the treatment of the
Uyghur Muslims by the Chinese government. Raab welcomed the
peace agreement between Israel and the
United Arab Emirates, saying he was gladdened by suspension of Israel's
plans to annex parts of the occupied
Palestinian territories in the
West Bank. Raab also welcomed the
normalization of relations between Israel and
Sudan, saying that it is "a positive step between two valued friends." In March 2020, Raab visited the
mausoleum of the Turkish leader
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and called Turkey a "staunch ally in
NATO and one of its largest contributors of military personnel." Raab said, "The UK stands with Turkey in the fight against terrorism, and recognises the serious threat posed" by the
Kurdish separatist movement
PKK. On 6 October, Raab warned that the result of the
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between
Armenia and
Azerbaijan may be the strengthening of relations between Russia and
Turkey, saying that a "battle for geopolitical stances is in progress. I believe that even though the behavior of our Turkish partners in NATO is sometimes disappointing, we need to be very careful with the risk that Turkey is falling into Russia's arms." On 10 May 2021, Raab condemned rocket
attacks on Israel and called for "immediate de-escalation on all sides" and an "end to targeting of civilian populations". On 15 August 2021, as the
Taliban militant group once again controlled a vast majority of Afghan territory, the Taliban began
capturing the capital city of
Kabul. Raab was abroad on holiday when Kabul fell to the Taliban. He returned to the UK on 16 August and said the UK government was surprised by the "scale and pace" of the Taliban's
takeover of Afghanistan.
Defence secretary Ben Wallace admitted all remaining UK nationals and Afghan allies might not get away and said "Some people won't get back". Unnamed sources told
The Guardian Raab refused to talk to some Foreign Office staff and this allegedly caused problems during the Afghanistan evacuation. Raab denies the claims. The
Foreign Affairs Select Committee said the government was "missing in action" after examining the episode. Unnamed insiders told
The Guardian in November 2022 that Raab limited the number of senior staff he dealt with. Unnamed sources said "Decisions that should have taken hours took days or simply did not happen." Raab allegedly avoided communicating with "those he found to be challenging voices". On 20 August 2021, Labour MP
Kevin Brennan accused Rabb of hypocrisy by refusing to be contacted and remaining on holiday in
Crete while Kabul fell to the Taliban, despite having previously co-authored the book
Britannia Unchained which criticized British workers by calling them the "worst idlers in the world".
Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary First term (2021–2022) In a
cabinet reshuffle on 15 September 2021, Raab was appointed
Secretary of State for Justice and
Lord Chancellor. He was also given the title of
Deputy Prime Minister, a post unused since the
Cameron–Clegg coalition. Raab declined to run in the
July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election. He endorsed Sunak's leadership bid. In August 2022, Raab moved to block the release of the parents of now seven-year-old Tony Hudgell, who had been abused by them and had to have his legs amputated.
The Guardian reported in December 2022 that Raab prevented the victims' commissioner for England and Wales being reappointed and is not expected to replace her for months. According to victims' groups, critical legislation was going through parliament without an independent reviewer. Unnamed sources stated Raab intervened to stop
Vera Baird staying as victims' commissioner.
Second term (2022–2023) Raab was reappointed by Sunak as Deputy Prime Minister, Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor on 25 October 2022. In November 2022, Raab said that terrorist offenders would face longer sentences if they committed crime, such as vandalising cells, while in prison. Raab resigned as both Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary on 21 April 2023, after an independent investigation found that his behaviour towards civil servants at the Ministry of Justice and at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office had amounted to bullying in two cases. The report of the investigation was published on the same day.
Bullying investigation and resignation On 15 November 2022, two formal bullying complaints were made by civil servants about Raab's behaviour when
Justice Secretary and
Foreign Secretary in Boris Johnson's government. Allegations against Raab included claims that he lost his temper at work and left staff scared to enter his office and that his behaviour was "abrasive and controlling". After Raab had been notified about the two formal complaints, he asked Sunak to commission an independent investigation, saying that he would "thoroughly rebut and refute" the claims against him, that he had "never tolerated bullying" and was confident that he had "behaved professionally throughout". During an interview on
Sky News in February 2023, Raab said he would resign if the investigation found that he had bullied civil servants. The story of bullying allegations against Raab, which eventually led to the investigation and his resignation, had broken on 11 November 2022 when
The Guardian newspaper reported that senior civil servants in the Ministry of Justice were offered "respite or a route out" of the department after Raab was reappointed, as they had been affected by his behaviour, described as "bullying and unprofessional", during his previous tenure. The
Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice,
Antonia Romeo, had had to ask Raab to treat staff professionally and with respect on his return. The former Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Office,
Lord McDonald was interviewed on
LBC Radio and said that he had spoken to Raab on several occasions about the way he treated staff. A report in
The Times said that civil servants at the Ministry of Justice had been "signed off work for extended periods of time" when Raab was Justice Secretary and that a complaint had been made about him in March 2022, with reference to a "dysfunctional working culture" that had begun to hinder effective work in the department. Raab denied the allegations with a spokesman saying "He consistently holds himself to the highest standards of professionalism and has never received nor been made aware of any formal complaint against him". The eight complaints involved 24 civil servants. In his resignation letter Raab was critical of the investigation, saying that the adverse findings were flawed and that the threshold for bullying had been set too low. He also complained that there had been "skewed and fabricated claims" leaked to the media during the investigation. Johnson's warning was not mentioned in the report, which said that there had been "a series of inaccurate and misleading media reports about the investigation". A month after resigning as a minister, Raab announced that he would not seek re-election as an MP at the
2024 general election. The accounts of the Ministry of Justice for the year 2023–2024 show that Raab received a severance payment of £16,876 as a result of his resignation from the office of justice secretary. This was in accordance with the rules on payouts for ministers who leave their jobs. == Political positions ==