Yesterday, Newsnight degenerated into mayhem as Lord Baker’s phone rang four times while he was discussing the Conservative Party problem.
The former Secretary of Education responded to questions over whether Prime Minister Rishi Sunak mishandled the dismissal of Nadhim Zahawi and the bullying allegations against Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab.
Lord Baker, 88, began defending the current resident of Downing Street when his phone rang for the first time after being asked if Mr. Sunak is repeating the errors of previous prime minister John Major.
Victoria Derbyshire took it and joked with Nick Watt, the political editor of Newsnight, that he is “in demand” before putting it on vibrate.
The discussion proceeded until Lord Baker’s phone called again mere seconds later.
Laughing, Ms. Derbyshire said, “Give me your phone!” while Lord Baker quipped, “The Prime Minister is quite demanding, isn’t he?
Lord Baker was explaining how the PM’s ethics advisor, Sir Laurie Magnus, closed an investigation into Mr. Zahawi within a week when the phone rang for the third time.
Ms. Derbyshire exclaimed, “Oh my God!” upon hearing the ring tone, before turning it off and joking, “Someone is telling you to be quiet!”
The phone rang for the last time when Lord Baker stated that Mr. Raab’s bullying allegations will “hang over him for the rest of his career.”
Ms. Derbyshire returned the phone to Lord Baker after silencing it once more as she concluded the interview.
One social media user commented, “Why can’t Kenneth Baker forget to turn off his phone on a weekly basis?”
Another said, ‘It occurred repeatedly! Where were the backup personnel? Victoria was so patient!
In the 1980s, Lord Baker held the positions of Environment Secretary and Education Secretary under Margaret Thatcher before becoming Home Secretary under John Major.
As he backed Mr. Raab, leading Conservative Jacob Rees-Mogg warned against being “too snowflakey” regarding bullying charges.
The former Secretary of Education responded to questions over whether Prime Minister Rishi Sunak mishandled the dismissal of Nadhim Zahawi and the bullying allegations against Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab.
Lord Baker, 88, defended the current resident of Downing Street when his phone rang for the first time after being asked if Mr. Sunak is repeating the errors of previous Prime Minister John Major.
Mr. Sunak has refused to suspend Mr. Raab despite the number of allegations related to his investigation into bullying reportedly growing substantially and being bolstered by a former high-ranking civil official.
The pressure on the Prime Minister has risen since he fired Mr. Zahawi as Tory chairman in the wake of a controversy over his tax troubles.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats have requested Mr. Sunak to suspend Mr. Raab while senior attorney Adam Tolley KC investigates him.
Lord Simon McDonald, the former permanent secretary of the Foreign Office, is alleged to have testified on behalf of Mr. Tolley.
The Guardian reports that the two other permanent secretaries who worked with Mr. Raab when he held Cabinet roles have also been interrogated.
The journal further alleged that at least 24 and maybe more than 30 civil servants are involved in formal complaints. Mr. Raab refutes claims of bullying.
Mr. Sunak has refused to suspend Mr. Raab, despite the number of allegations to his bullying investigation allegedly growing substantially and being bolstered by a former senior civil worker.
Mr. Rees-Mogg stated that it is “entirely reasonable” for Mr. Raab to continue serving as Mr. Sunak’s deputy and as the Justice Secretary while he is under investigation.
Former minister for Brexit chances and leader of the House of Commons told Sky News: “I believe we need to exercise some caution with the bullying charges.
We cannot be too delicate about it. People must be able to state that this task has not been performed adequately and must be improved.
It’s a difficult line to determine. Typically, it is not a straightforward subject. How did someone react, what did they say, and is it acceptable to expect good service from senior and well-paid professionals? And then you must determine whether this line has been crossed.’
Mr. Rees-Mogg supported the then-prime minister Boris Johnson’s decision to retain Priti Patel as home secretary despite findings that she had violated the ministerial code regarding claims of bullying.
Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union that represents senior civil employees, stated, “Even by Rees-standards, Mogg’s this is outrageous.”
“A previous House leader trivializing bullying, which we know has destroyed lives and careers.
Last Thursday, Mr. Raab reiterated that he is “constantly aware of my behavior.”
Not only should he be ashamed of himself, but so should his leader and his political party.
Florence Eshalomi, Labour’s shadow Cabinet Office minister, added, ‘It says volumes that Jacob Rees-Mogg is attempting to minimize the severe allegations of bullying and intimidation levelled against the Deputy Prime Minister.
He should feel shame for his actions. If Rishi Sunak was genuine about his zero-tolerance policy, he would disassociate himself and his party from the comments made by Jacob Rees-Mogg.
Last week, Number 10 reiterated that the number of formal claims against Mr. Raab remained at eight, but could not rule out the possibility that each allegation involved several accusers.
Before taking anything, Mr. Sunak stated at a Cabinet awayday at his Chequers retreat that he will await the outcome of Mr. Tolley’s probe.
I appointed a private investigator to investigate this problem. He stated, “I will wait for the independent investigator to complete the investigation and report back to me.”
Last Thursday, Mr. Raab reiterated that he is “constantly aware of my behavior.”
He told the BBC, “I’m confident I acted professionally throughout, and of course the government has zero tolerance for bullying.”
The probe focuses on Mr. Raab’s tenures as foreign secretary, Brexit secretary, and first justice secretary.
Lord McDonald asserted a year ago that Mr. Raab was so disrespectful and abrasive to junior colleagues that many of them were “terrified” to attend his office.
The crossbench peer told Times Radio: ‘Colleagues did not formally complain to me, as it was part of their professional pride to cope, but many were terrified to enter his office.’
His defense consisted of the fact that he treated everyone in the building equally. As harsh and authoritarian with junior ministers and senior bureaucrats as he was with his private secretaries.
Mr. Sunak has vowed to “take whatever measures are necessary to restore integrity to politics.”
However, Downing Street would not confirm if the Prime Minister was informed of informal concerns about Mr. Raab’s behavior before appointing him as his deputy.
The official spokesperson for the Prime Minister stated that Mr. Sunak had the “required information” to make the appointment and had acted fast by assigning Mr. Tolley to investigate once formal complaints had been filed.
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