At least 24 civil servants involved in complaints against Dominic Raab, say sources

Dominic Raab is facing a much broader bullying investigation than originally anticipated with at least 24 civil servants involved in formal complaints against him, the Guardian understands.

Government insiders believe the depth of the inquiry and severity of some of the claims means the deputy prime minister will struggle to survive in post, and throws further doubt on Rishi Sunaks judgment for having him in such a senior position.

The prime minister is already under siege on a separate front over the tax affairs of the Conservative party chair, Nadhim Zahawi, with growing pressure on him from senior Tories and the opposition to take decisive action irrespective of an ongoing inquiry.

Downing Street confirmed in December that the justice secretary was facing eight formal complaints over alleged bullying, six of them from his first stint at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), one from when he was foreign secretary and one from when he ran the Brexit department.

However, sources said that all but two of the formal complaints involved multiple accusers with a number of his private office staff from his first stretch at the department believed to have made submissions. The total number of complainants is thought to be at least two dozen, and could be more than 30, sources claim.