Raab in charge but he won’t have audiences with Queen

Foreign Secretary warned he will be tested by the loneliness of the job as ministers told major decisions will still be made by Johnson

QUESTIONS over the extent of Dominic Raab’s powers have been raised by MPS as it emerged that he cannot hire or fire ministers or talk to the Queen while deputising for Boris Johnson.

The Foreign Secretary was announced as the Prime Minister’s official stand-in while the Prime Minister is in intensive care. However, Downing Street said Mr Raab was deputising “where appropriate”, leading MPS to question how much authority he has.

Mr Raab was last night keen to stress that he and the Cabinet were acting on Mr Johnson’s instructions and that the PM would be “back at the helm leading us through this crisis in short order”.

He added: “And for us in the Cabinet, we know exactly what he wants from us and what he expects from us.”

Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, also made it clear that decisions are to be made by Cabinet consent and said: “The Prime Minister always remains the Prime Minister.”

Asked whether he had the authority to change direction at yesterday’s Downing Street press conference, Mr Raab said he had been “given a very clear steer from the Prime Minister”.

Sources close to Mr Raab said that, although he last spoke to Mr Johnson on Saturday, he has a close understanding of the direction he wants to go in from previous close contact with him.

Cabinet

Mr Raab has taken over the responsibility of chairing key meetings including the daily morning Covid-19 “War Cabinet”. Yesterday ministers received reports from the four committees which were set up in response to the health crisis, focusing on health, public sector preparedness, the economy and international response.

However, Mr Raab does not have the power to hire and fire ministers, while decision making will be taken collectively by the Cabinet.

Mr Gove said yesterday: “Dominic takes on the responsibilities of chairing the various meetings that the Prime Minister would have chaired.

“But we’re all working together to implement the plan that the Prime Minister set out in order to try to marshal all the resources of government in the fight against this invisible enemy.”

A senior Conservative MP last night questioned how much authority Mr Raab has been given in “deputising” for the Prime Minister.

“I don’t think it’s real – Dominic isn’t even acting prime minister. He is like a deputy council leader who has been told he can attend the meeting of the council.

“Clearly Boris doesn’t want to pass it [authority] on. Maybe Boris wants to keep control of things because he knows they’re not up to it.”

Ministers have taken pains to make it clear they are all on the same page.

Robert Buckland, the Justice Secretary, yesterday told the One Nation group of Tory MPS: “The collective resolve of Cabinet is extremely strong; we owe it to our PM to maintain our drive to deal with this unprecedented

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EMMANUEL MACRON ‘Full support to Boris Johnson, his family and the British people at this difficult time’

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crisis.” A source close to another minister said Mr Raab “seemed really on it” in a call with the Cabinet yesterday. “He was asking the right questions,” they said, adding: “We’re behind Dom, he’s doing a good job.”

Asked who makes a decision if there is “genuine disagreement” in the Cabinet, Mr Raab said: “We’ve got very clear directions, very clear instructions from the PM. We are focused with total unity, and total resolve, in delivering them.”

However, one former Tory minister expressed concern that, if Mr Johnson’s condition worsens, Cabinet unity could fall apart. “They’ll be squabbling like ferrets in a sack,” they said.

Lockdown

When asked if Mr Johnson had passed on instructions over when to end the lockdown, Mr Raab replied: “We are not at that stage yet.”

He said the Government is waiting to see “reliable data” on the lockdown’s effectiveness before deciding whether to lift it.

Meanwhile, Mr Gove said decisions on ending the shutdown would be decided “collectively and appropriately”.

Lord Heseltine, who served as deputy prime minister under John Major, yesterday called for greater clarity of Mr Raab’s powers.

“There must come a time when a deputy is effectively prime minister,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve probably quite got to that now but the present urgency of the situation and the potential decisions that may need to be taken quickly does mean that Dominic Raab will have to use his discretion and know when to act.

“This is a very difficult thing to do because he will be surrounded by lots of people who know what Boris Johnson said, believe Boris will be quickly back and have their own personal agendas anyway, so it’s a very difficult personal position and the man will be tested by the loneliness of the job.”

The Queen

Mr Raab will not be attending weekly audiences with the Queen while the Prime Minister is absent, Number 10 has said.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman said the Cabinet secretary and Mr Johnson’s principal private secretary, who are the usual conduits with the Palace, will continue to liaise as usual.

National security

Dominic Raab has been given authority to chair National Security Council meetings following questions about who is in charge.

However, it is understood that any key security decisions would still be taken by Mr Johnson.

Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative MP who chairs the Commons defence committee, said he has been “given assurances” that the current division of responsibility is “workable”.

He said the Prime Minister retains the authority in big security questions.

He said: “You’re talking about – if there is a major security incident that required prime ministerial approval, or indeed a scientific breakthrough which may require a change of direction.

“I am content that while this is unorthodox, it is workable as long as the PM’S condition doesn’t change.”

However, Mr Ellwood warned: “There are wily competitors out there who are willing to take full advantage of any opportunity to exploit confusion in leadership, so it is important that there is clarity in responsibility.”

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