Minister’s aide faces inquiry over sex work
Secretary alleged to have been ready to sell herself, as same department hit by unrelated cocaine scandal
A MINISTER’S aide used as a poster girl for a Civil Service apprenticeship scheme has been suspended over allegations that she was prepared to sell herself for sex online.
The 20-year-old, who works for Dominic Raab, the housing minister, talked of wanting to have sex on his desk to an undercover reporter who contacted her through a “Sugar Daddies” website.
The Daily Telegraph has learnt that the same ministry was hit by a second, unrelated scandal last week when a bag of cocaine was found in the department by a member of staff. Mr Raab’s diary secretary, who The Telegraph has chosen not to name, was paid £750 on two occasions by a reporter from the Daily Mirror posing as a client seeking sex. She promised “undisputed access to me” in return.
She revealed details about her job to the reporter, boasting that she knew “everything about” Mr Raab and “organised his entire life”. The woman joined the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government four years ago as a 16-year-old apprentice, and was chosen to appear as a “success story” on the Government’s official website.
Her photograph appeared on the gov.uk website in 2015, and in a blog which has now been deleted she wrote about how she had chosen the apprenticeship over a conventional university degree, adding that during the scheme she visited Downing Street and was “personally introduced” to David Cameron, the then prime minister. She works in Mr Raab’s private office at the ministry, which is in the same building as the Home Office. The woman previously worked for Lord Heseltine, the former Cabinet minister and ex-adviser to the ministry. After spending two years on the civil service apprenticeship scheme, she is understood to have been given permission to take a two-year break to go travelling. Mr Raab, who was moved to his current role in January, did not appoint her, as she was already working in the ministry. Former Scotland Yard officials said the woman could have been vulnerable to blackmail. She is understood to have had access to schedules, diaries and events and if she ever covered for anyone in another minister’s office in the department, she may have had access to their correspondence too. A spokesman for the ministry said: “We are aware of this allegation against one of our members of staff and are investigating. There is no suggestion that any official information has been disclosed.”
It can also be disclosed that last week staff working in Mr Raab’s department were summoned for an urgent meeting after a bag of cocaine was discovered on the first floor of the building.
Sources have told The Telegraph that the Metropolitan Police was called in and confirmed the substance to be cocaine. A spokesman for the department confirmed that a “small amount” of drugs had been found in the building but that no further action had been taken. “This was immediately passed to security who are responsible for the building,” they added.
“As you would expect they referred this to the police who advised no further action was needed.”