Is Westminster full of bullies?
The News Agents
Global
4.1 • 5.4K Ratings
🗓️ 15 November 2022
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A second minister in two weeks faces serious allegations of bullying. Are our corridors of power a breeding ground for bullyboy behaviour? We speak to Liz Bates, political correspondent at Sky News, who has delved deep into the alleged toxic culture that appears endemic in Westminster.
And we're joined by the former Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, George Eustice, who stood up in the House of Commons yesterday to brandish a trade deal he endorsed last year when he was in government 'a not very good deal'. He still says Brexit has gone well.
Planning: Melissa Tutesigensi
Socials: Georgia Foxwell
Video: Will Gibson-Smith
Production: Gabriel Radus
Deputy Editor: Tom Hughes
Executive Producer: Dino Sofos
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Newsagents podcast is brought to you by HSBC UK, opening up a world of opportunity. |
| 0:09.1 | This is a Global Player Original podcast. |
| 0:13.1 | Another week in Westminster and yet another series of stories around bullying about a senior minister. Gavin Williams in the last week, |
| 0:24.6 | this time it is the turn of Dominic Raab, the Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, |
| 0:32.1 | both for Boris Johnson and now for Rishishish Sunak. Swirling are a number of allegations from civil servants that Dominic Rab at various points |
| 0:43.2 | during his ministerial career has bullied them and showed bullying behaviour. |
| 0:49.0 | Well, it's now 24 hours since Rishy Sunak issued those deadly words, I have full confidence in Dominic Rab. |
| 0:57.3 | But he is still there. |
| 0:58.6 | Now, I can't speak to the bullying claims, but I can speak to something else. |
| 1:02.9 | When I was the BBC's North America editor in Washington, I went out with a couple of diplomats |
| 1:09.1 | who were tearing their hair out |
| 1:11.0 | about Dominic Rab's visit |
| 1:13.3 | and the instructions that they had received |
| 1:16.7 | about what Mr. Rab will find acceptable and not. |
| 1:21.2 | One was that they had to set aside |
| 1:24.0 | two hours for him to be in the gym each day, even though he was in Washington on |
| 1:29.4 | visits. The other thing was that they were told in no uncertain terms that Mr. Rab never wanted |
| 1:38.7 | to see a tomato on his plate. Whatever the circumstances. |
| 1:45.3 | No tomatoes. |
| 1:47.0 | Now, if this is wrong, Mr. Ab, please come on the newsagents and tell us. |
| 1:52.1 | But that is what I was told by two diplomats. |
| 1:56.1 | Welcome to the newsagents. |
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