Dominic raab - Central News Hub

Dowden appointed Sunak’s deputy after Raab’s exit

Oliver Dowden had been serving in Rishi Sunak’s government as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Cabinet Office secretary before the new appointment.

Oliver Dowden has been named UK’s new deputy prime minister, Sky News reported.

Dowden had been serving in Rishi Sunak’s government as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Cabinet Office secretary before the new appointment. He will continue in the roles alongside his new responsibilities, as per Sky News. Dowden after the announcement tweeted: “Deeply honoured to have been asked to serve as deputy prime minister. I look forward to working even more closely with the prime minister as we tackle the issues that matter most to the people of this country”.

Rishi Sunak and Oliver Dowden at Shakespeare’s Globe. Photo taken in November 2020 when Sunak was Chancellor and Dowden was Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. (Picture by Pippa Fowles / No 10 Downing Street)

Dowden’s appointment came after the resignation of former Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab. He resigned earlier on Friday in the wake of bullying allegations.

“I am writing to resign from your government, following receipt of the report arising from the inquiry conducted by Adam Tolley KC. I called for the inquiry and undertook to resign if it made any finding of bullying whatsoever. I believe it is important to keep my word,” read Raab’s statement.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Alex Chalk was appointed new justice minister, a position which was previously held by Dominic Raab.

Allegations surfaced about Raab in November, with former staff claiming he created a “culture of fear” in their departments.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appoints Alex Chalk to the cabinet. 10 Downing Street. Picture by Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street

He denied the allegations and requested an investigation into himself after two formal complaints were made.

The Dy PM and Justice Secretary, Raab was appointed by Rishi Sunak after he took power in October.

“It has been a privilege to serve you as Deputy Prime Minister, Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work as a Minister in a range of roles and departments since 2015, and pay tribute to the many outstanding civil servants with whom I have worked,” he said.

Raab’s departure follows Sunak’s decision to dismiss Tory party chairman Nadhim Zahawi from his post in January after the former chancellor was found to have broken the ministerial code over his tax affairs. (ANI)

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Gathering at PM’s residence wasn’t a party, says Raab

“I genuinely don’t think it gets classified as a party,” Raab said. “I don’t think it was a party.”…reports Asian Lite News.

A photograph of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and more than a dozen other people drinking wine in the garden of his Downing Street residence during a lockdown last year does not show a party, his deputy said on Monday.

The picture, published by the Guardian, shows Johnson with his wife Carrie, who appears to be holding their newborn son, and two other people at a table on a terrace in the Downing Street garden with cheese and wine.

Nearby is another table of four other people, and a short distance away are a larger group standing on the grass around a table with bottles of wine.

“Downing Street use that garden as a place of work,” Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told Times Radio. “That’s not against the regulations.”

“I genuinely don’t think it gets classified as a party,” Raab said. “I don’t think it was a party.”

The scenes depicted in the photograph add to the scrutiny on Johnson following revelations that his staff held a series of gatherings during COVID-19 lockdowns while the population was being told not to mix with others.

He has faced a barrage of criticism since a video emerged showing his staff laughing and joking about a Downing Street party during a 2020 Christmas lockdown when such festivities were banned.

Raab said the new photograph was taken on a day when the government had just held news conference and that sometimes staff had a drink after a long day in the garden. It was a work gathering, he said.

Johnson’s wife Carrie, Raab said, had popped down from the Downing Street flat to spend some time with her husband.

Besides anger over alleged parties, Johnson is grappling with a rebellion inside his party over the direction of his government which critics say is chaotic and has dramatically expanded the power of the state.

Brexit minister David Frost resigned on Saturday over disillusionment with the direction of the government.

“You know my concerns about the current direction of travel,” Frost told Johnson in a resignation letter released by Downing Street.

“I hope we will move as fast as possible to where we need to get to: a lightly regulated, low tax, entrepreneurial economy, at the cutting edge of modern science and economic change.”

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