Let’s not be too ‘snowflakey’, says Rees-mogg

Inquiry into bullying claims against ministers such as Dominic Raab ‘should not jump to conclusions’

JACOB REES-MOGG has warned against a “snowflakey” response to bullying claims against ministers amid the investigation into Dominic Raab.

Rishi Sunak has refused to suspend Mr Raab despite the number of allegations in an inquiry into his alleged treatment of staff.

Asked by Sky News whether there was an “air of sleaze” around the Government, with the accusations aimed at the Justice Secretary mentioned as an example, Mr Rees-mogg said it was “very difficult”.

“I think we’ve got to be slightly careful about the bullying allegations – we have to wait and see – but also we mustn’t be too snowflakey about it,” he said.

“People need to be able to say this job has not been done well enough and needs to be done better. It’s a very difficult line to judge. It’s not a straightforward issue in most cases. It’s: ‘How did somebody react? What did somebody say? Is it reasonable to demand from senior and well-paid professionals a level of good service?’

“And then you have to judge whether that line has been overstepped. But I do worry that we are getting a bit snowflakey about this.”

Labour and the Liberal Democrats have urged Mr Sunak to suspend Mr Raab while he is under investigation by senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC.

At least 24 civil servants, and perhaps more than 30, are involved in formal complaints, The Guardian has reported. Mr Raab denies allegations of bullying.

It came as figures out yesterday showed that civil service turnover hit the highest level for a decade last year.

But Mr Rees-mogg urged ministers not to replace unproductive officials.

One in seven civil servants left their jobs in 2021/22 – a dramatic increase on the year before, a report by the Institute for Government (IFG) found.

The think tank warned that such a high level of turnover damages productivity and undermines expertise. And it pointed out that many officials were unhappy about being asked to return to the office in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

But last night Mr Rees-mogg, who was tasked by Boris Johnson with slashing the number of civil servants, said the high turnover could help the Government slash the size of Whitehall.

As Cabinet Office minister last year he planned to reduce the size of the civil service by 91,000 people – back to pre-brexit levels.

“If people don’t want to go into work to do their job properly, it makes sense for them to look for opportunities elsewhere,” he said. “After all, institutions benefit from a period of turnover.

“Productivity in the civil service has already fallen because of people working from home. People need to get back to the office where they might find they enjoy work more.”

Mr Rees-mogg added: “If one in seven civil servants are leaving, then it makes it easier to reduce the number by natural wastage. It’s a painless way of reducing the civil service by 91,000 and I hope the Government do not fill these vacant places.”

The Ifg’s Whitehall Monitor report found that between March 2021 and March 2022, 13.6 per cent of civil servants either moved between departments or left the service entirely.

That is a dramatic increase on the 8.4 per cent turnover figure the year before, and the highest in a decade.

The turnover figures were contained in the Ifg’s annual Whitehall Monitor report. It said: “High turnover damages productivity, undermines subject knowledge and expertise, disrupts projects and increases the resources required for recruitment and training.”

The report said there were indications that the increased turnover was driven in part by “declining staff satisfaction – with pay in particular, and officials’ work more generally – which speaks to more systemic problems within the management of the civil service”.

The IFG also pointed to the civil service’s internal People Survey into officials’ morale, which has fallen.

It said: “Civil servants have faced tension with government ministers over flexible working arrangements, proposed headcount reductions and pay and conditions.”