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Raab calls for UK to up its game on India ties

“India’s economic rise and geopolitical salience make it a linchpin partner, particularly as a counterweight to China,” he writes…reports Asian Lite News

One of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s close allies and former deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab, on Saturday called on the British Indian leader to up the government’s game to reap the full dividends of a closer partnership with India.

Dominic Raab, who led Sunak’s leadership campaign and served as his Foreign Secretary before being forced to resign amid bullying allegations, wrote in ‘The Daily Telegraph’ that more can be achieved within the bilateral relationship with the UK’s first Prime Minister of Indian heritage now in charge at Downing Street.

He pointed to India’s “particular comparative advantage in tech” against the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s high-profile visit to the US this week during which mega deals were struck.

“With the UK’s historic ties to India, and our first UK Prime Minister of Indian heritage, are we doing enough to maximise the rewards from this critical relationship,” questions Raab.

“With Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister, Britain remains uniquely placed to reap the dividends of a deeper friendship with India. To do so, we’ll need to up our game across the whole of government,” writes the Conservative Party MP.

He notes that India as the world’s fifth largest economy predicted to overtake the Eurozone within 30 years, offers “enormous” trade opportunities as investor sentiment warms with investment in roads, and a large well-educated local talent pool to draw from.

“When it comes to defence procurement, India is the world’s largest importer of military hardware. Again, Modi is in the market for joint ventures that allow tech transfer to help build up homegrown production. For the West, it is an opportunity to wean India off imports of Russian weapons,” he writes.

“India’s economic rise and geopolitical salience make it a linchpin partner, particularly as a counterweight to China,” he writes.

Acknowledging India’s own geopolitical compulsions, Raab admits India’s refusal to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in the same terms as the West as “maddening”.

 “But as a leading member of the non-aligned group, India has far-reaching influence amongst developing countries. That could be useful to the West in areas of common interest, like China… the case for cooperating more closely with India just gets stronger,” he writes.

Reflecting his own frustrations with the civil service apparatus, which is referred to as the “Whitehall blob” in ministerial circles, Raab laments that an “ossified Whitehall bureaucracy has given France the edge over British aerospace firms in supplying India the new fighter jets it needs – an order of French Rafales is now expected.”

“FTA (free trade agreement) negotiations were launched, cooperation intensified during COVID on the supply of vital goods from Personal Protective Equipment to paracetamol, with pledges to collaborate on tech and critical minerals, and a commitment to pursue mutual defence procurement. But this relationship requires constant focus to deliver results,” added Raab.

ALSO READ-Raab to stand down as MP at next polls

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Raab to stand down as MP at next polls

The findings prompted Mr Raab to step down, but in his resignation letter he noted that the inquiry “dismissed all but two of the claims levelled against me”…reports Asian Lite News

Former deputy prime minister Dominic Raab will stand down as an MP at the next election. His decision, first reported in The Telegraph, comes a month after he resigned as a minister when a bullying inquiry found he had acted in an “intimidating” way towards officials.

The paper quotes Mr Raab as saying he is concerned about “the pressure the job has placed on my young family”. Raab and his wife have two sons, aged 10 and eight. Since becoming an MP in 2010, Mr Raab has served in many ministerial roles.

In 2018 then-prime minister Theresa May appointed him as Brexit secretary, a job he quit less than six months later. Boris Johnson picked him to be his foreign secretary and first secretary of state – the latter role meant he was left in charge of running the country when Mr Johnson was hospitalised with Covid in April 2020.

Raab has also been a close ally of Rishi Sunak, supporting him in last summer’s Conservative leadership race. Sunak rewarded his loyalty when he became prime minister, making Mr Raab both his justice secretary and deputy prime minister.

Raab confirmed that he would not seek re-election as the MP for Esher and Walton, which he has represented since 2010 and won with a majority of 2,743 votes in 2019. In a letter from Raab to his constituency, seen by the Telegraph, the MP said it had been a “huge honour to represent the Conservatives since 2010 in this wonderful constituency”.

His departure from Parliament means the Conservatives will have to find a new candidate for the Surrey constituency – which is a key election target for the Liberal Democrats. Raab joins a growing number of senior Conservatives deciding not to stand in the next general election, expected in 2024.

Former ministers including Sajid Javid and George Eustice have also announced their intention to leave the House of Commons. Raab was at the centre of months of speculation when bullying allegations from civil servants led to an inquiry into the MP’s conduct.

The report – conducted by senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC – concluded Mr Raab had engaged in an “abuse or misuse of power” as foreign secretary.

The findings prompted Mr Raab to step down, but in his resignation letter he noted that the inquiry “dismissed all but two of the claims levelled against me”.

He also said the inquiry was “flawed and sets a dangerous precedent” and would “encourage spurious complaints against ministers, and have a chilling effect on those driving change on behalf of your government – and ultimately the British people”.

Responding to his decision to quit as an MP, fellow Conservative Angela Richardson tweeted: “His constituents will miss his dedication. I am happy for his young family though. This job is tough enough on family life as a simple backbencher, let alone being in Cabinet.”

ALSO READ-Dowden appointed Sunak’s deputy after Raab’s exit

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Sunak reviewing ‘bully’ report on Raab

Raab has said he will resign from Cabinet if the bullying allegations against him are upheld, as he dismissed calls for him to be suspended while the investigation runs its course…reports Asian Lite News

Rishi Sunak has “full confidence” in Dominic Raab while he “carefully considers” the long-awaited report into bullying allegations against the Deputy Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman confirmed the months-long review by Adam Tolley KC was received by No 10 on Thursday morning, but the BBC has said that no decision on his deputy’s future will be announced today. Raab has been under investigation over eight formal complaints about his behaviour as Foreign Secretary, Brexit Secretary, and during his first stint as Justice Secretary.

Raab has consistently denied bullying staff and says he always “behaved professionally”. He has said he will resign from Cabinet if the bullying allegations against him are upheld, as he dismissed calls for him to be suspended while the investigation runs its course.

Downing Street has said the PM is still considering the report, but wanted to publish it “as swiftly as possible”. A spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister has received the report from Adam Tolley, the independent investigator. He received the findings this morning – he is considering those findings,” the spokesman said.

“He does have full confidence in the (Deputy) Prime Minister – that still stands. Obviously he is carefully considering the findings of the report.”

According to the Sunday Telegraph, the report may not specify whether Raab breached the ministerial code or not, but instead will lay out a timeline of facts and events. The latest edition of the register of ministers’ interests, published this week, reveals that Raab has paid for his own lawyers to defend him during the investigation.

Raab has remained in post as the Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister throughout the probe, but Dave Penman, head of the FDA union, said that “any other employee…would in all likelihood be suspended” until the investigation is concluded.

Conservative allies have backed Raab, with Jacob Rees-Mogg warning against being “too snowflakey” over bullying allegations, and Education Secretary Gillian Keegan rejected calls for Raab to be suspended.

The three permanent secretaries who led officials working under Raab are thought to have given evidence to an inquiry into the Justice Secretary being led by Tolley.

The former Tory party chair Jake Berry has said Raab should have been suspended while the investigation was being carried, and called the system for handling complaints in Westminster “outdated”.

Appearing on ITV’s Peston show on Wednesday night, Berry, said: “It does seem to me quite wrong that when people are under these kinds of investigations of this type that they continue in their job.”

He added: “Whatever the outcome is, and we’re going to find out tomorrow, I actually think there’s a fundamental rethink required about how we deal with these sorts of allegations, both in Government made against ministers and made against Members of Parliament. It’s a massively outdated system that isn’t what our constituents would expect of any of us.”

Raab has rejected calls for him to be suspended while the investigation takes place, but said he will “co-operate fully with the inquiry, and I’ll respect the outcome of it”.

He told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: “I think, actually, just by lodging complaints, you can knock out a Cabinet minister or senior figure, (I am) not sure that is right. We believe in innocent until proven guilty in this country and I’ll co-operate fully with the inquiry, and I’ll respect the outcome of it.”

Asked whether he will then resign if the complaint is upheld, at first, Raab said he was not going to start speculating on what the outcome might be. Pressed further, he said: “Allow me to respond in the right way at the right time, of course. Look, if an allegation of bullying is upheld, I will resign.”

Raab also said he believed there should be more “plain speaking in politics”. He said: “What we need, and I think this can be reconciled absolutely with having a zero tolerance on bullying, you need ministers who come in and correctly but directly challenge assumptions, test ideas — that is the way we get the best out of Government.”

Penman, general secretary of the FDA union, dismissed Raab’s comments, insisting civil servants do not “have the confidence” to challenge bullying or harassment by senior figures in Whitehall.

He told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: “The picture he paints is that everything is fine in the civil service and the relationship between ministers and civil servants is OK. That’s not the picture civil servants speak of, that’s not their experience.

“One in six are saying they have experienced bullying or harassment, or have witnessed that, in the last 12 months alone across 20 Government departments. They don’t have the confidence of challenging those behaviours.”

Penman previously told the BBC that Raab should be suspended to protect other members of staff while the investigation is conducted. He said: “If that was any other employee, if that was a permanent secretary in the civil service, they would in all likelihood be suspended from their job while the investigation took place.

“That’s not to prejudge the investigation, that’s to say if there are serious allegations of bullying and extensive allegations like this, that one of the considerations is how do you protect employees from that sort of behaviour? And while it’s being determined, you would normally suspend someone, given the seriousness and extent of those accusations.”

Raab’s cabinet colleague Keegan rejected calls for him to step aside while Tolley carries out his work. She told Sky News she think it is “fair to let investigations continue”.

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Assange, his fiancée files lawsuit against Raab

The couple claims that the obstacles placed by the UK authorities in this matter are part of a political war against Assange, according to the Daily Mail…reports Asian Lite News.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his fiancee Stella Moris filed a lawsuit against UK Justice Secretary Dominic Raab and the head of Belmarsh prison, where the whistleblower is currently held, for preventing their marriage, British media reported.

The couple claims that the obstacles placed by the UK authorities in this matter are part of a political war against Assange, according to the Daily Mail.

“There is no reason for political interference in what is a basic human right. The CIA revelations show the lengths some agencies are willing to go to in their persecution of Julian,” Moris was quoted as saying by the daily.

Assange and Moris have been engaged for five years and have two children together. They have asked for assistance in arranging the marriage in May, when the whistleblower was already in jail awaiting extradition appeal trial, the newspaper said. However, the process stalled and Assange applied for official permission directly with the Belmarsh chief on October 7, to no effect. The couple’s lawyers also reportedly failed to get a response from the prison authorities.

The lawsuit accuses Raab and Belmarsh Governor Jenny Louis of abusing their power over Assange, behaving irrationally and unfairly, and denying the couple and their children their human rights, the Daily Mail said.

The accused have until November 12 to respond.

Assange was arrested in London on April 11, 2019, and sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for jumping bail in 2012. He took refuge inside the Ecuadorean embassy in the UK capital to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he was facing sexual assault charges that were later dropped by a Swedish court.

Assange is wanted by the United States on espionage charges after WikiLeaks published thousands of classified documents that shed light on war crimes committed by American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. If put on trial and convicted in the US, the whistleblower faces up to 175 years in prison.

In September, it was revealed that senior US officials and the CIA were allegedly discussing the possibility of kidnapping and killing Assange in 2017 while he was hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

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Raab rapped for wrong ‘misogyny’ definition

Raab was speaking at his Conservative Party’s annual conference in Manchester, northwest England, shortly before Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s keynote speech…reports Asian Lite News.

Justice minister Dominic Raab on Wednesday came under fire after saying that “misogyny is wrong, whether it’s a man against a woman or a woman against a man”.

His confusion about the definition arose during an interview with the BBC in which he was asked why the government rejected calls for misogyny to be made a hate crime in the wake of the murder of London woman Sarah Everard.

“If you don’t know what misogyny is then you’re never going to find it,” Nazir Afzal, who has prosecuted grooming gangs and celebrity sexual abusers, wrote on Twitter.

Misogyny is hatred aimed at women, while misandry targets men.

“What I meant was… if we are talking about, effectively, insults with a sexist basis, I don’t think that criminalising those sorts of things will deal with the problem that we have got at the heart of the Sarah Everard case,” Raab said.

“Criminalising insulting language — even if it’s misogynistic — does not deal with the intimidation, the violence and the much higher level of offence and damage and harm that we really ought to be laser-like focused in on,” the former foreign secretary said.

The government on Tuesday announced an independent inquiry into “systematic failures” in policing, after an officer serving in London was jailed for life for Everard’s kidnap, rape and murder.

The death of the 33-year-old marketing consultant rocked the country and led to an outcry over violence against women and girls in Britain.

Wayne Couzens, 48, who served in the Metropolitan Police diplomatic protection unit, falsely arrested Everard as she walked home from a friend’s house, on the pretence that she had broken coronavirus restrictions in place at the time.

Raab was speaking at his Conservative Party’s annual conference in Manchester, northwest England, shortly before Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s keynote speech.

ALSO READ-UK will engage with Taliban, but won’t recognise govt: Raab

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Unknown number left behind in Afghanistan: Raab

The Foreign Secretary said that United Kingdom was “caught out” by the speed of the fall of Kabul, with intelligence expecting it to hold until the end of the year, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

Days after the withdrawal of troops and evacuation of people from the war-torn Afghanistan, the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said that government is not confident that it knows how many people eligible to come to the UK remain in Afghanistan.

Addressing MPs, the foreign secretary said he would be leaving for the region later for talks on those left behind, the BBC reported.

The UK has evacuated around 15,000 since the country fell to the Taliban on August 15.

Raab also said that the UK was “caught out” by the speed of the fall of Kabul, with intelligence expecting it to hold until the end of the year.

But the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Tom Tugendhat, said a Foreign Office risk report from 22 July predicted a “very real danger of cities collapsing” after US forces withdrew.

The Tory MP later told BBC Radio 5 Live that he was “a bit surprised” that Raab did not seem to know about the document. But the Foreign Office said it was a standard monthly report which did not contain intelligence assessments.

Raab, who was being grilled by the committee’s MPs on a number of aspects of the UK’s withdrawal from Afghanistan last month, has faced scrutiny over his handling of the Afghanistan situation since the Taliban took control of the country.

There were calls for him to resign from opposition MPs after it emerged he had been unavailable to make a phone call about evacuating interpreters from Afghanistan while he was on holiday in Crete.

Mr Raab later said that “with hindsight” he would not have gone away, but dismissed accusations that he was “lounging on the beach” as “nonsense”, the BBC reported.

The committee asked him for more specific dates for his holiday, but he refused to answer, saying the line of questioning was a “fishing expedition”, it was reported.

Afghanistan govt formation

The Taliban on Wednesday informed that supreme leader Haibatullah Akhunzada will be the Head of the new Afghan government.

Reports also indicate that there will also be a Prime Minister post in the next government, Tolo News reported.

“Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, will also be the leader of the new government,” Anamullah Samangani, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission informed.

“The Islamic government that we will announce will be a model for the people. There is no doubt about the presence of the Commander of the Faithful (Akhunzada) in the government. He will be the leader of the government,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Taliban will also announce the formation of a new government in the country on September 3, Sputnik reported.

Earlier on August 31, Stanekzai had met the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China Zhou Jian in Doha to discuss the Afghanistan situation.

Meanwhile, the head of the political office of the Taliban Mullah Baradar has also been appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, local media informed.

Although the Taliban say consultations have been finalised on the formation of the new government but discussions have not been held over the system’s name, the national flag or national anthem, reported Tolo News. (ANI)

ALSO READ-Taliban To Emulate Iran To Form Government

READ MORE-Biden vows to support to Afghan people through diplomacy, aid

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Raab Under Pressure to Quit Over Handling of Afghanistan

It was revealed that Foreign Secretary Raab was unavailable to make a crucial phone call last week while he was reportedly on holiday, as the Taliban advanced towards Afghanistan capital, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is under increasing pressure to resign as it emerged that a crucial phone call to Afghanistan he was advised to make but which was given to a junior minister to handle never took place.

The government had said the call to get help evacuating interpreters from Afghanistan had been delegated as Raab was busy on other calls, the BBC reported.

However, a spokesman now says it “was not possible to arrange a call” before the Afghan government collapsed.

Opposition parties called for him to resign after it was revealed he was unavailable to make the phone call last Friday while he was on holiday, as the Taliban advanced towards Afghanistan capital.

It followed newspaper reports suggesting the foreign secretary was seen relaxing on a beach on the Greek island of Crete on Sunday – the day Kabul was captured by Taliban.

Though cabinet colleagues have defended Raab, some MPs from his own party remain unhappy with the government’s response to the crisis in Afghanistan.

On Thursday, it was reported he was advised by senior Foreign Office officials last week that he should make contact with Afghan Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar to get urgent assistance in rescuing Afghan interpreters who had worked for the British military.

Officials said it was important the call was made by Raab rather than a junior minister – but they were told he was unavailable. The Afghan foreign ministry reportedly refused to arrange a call with a junior minister, pushing it back to the next day.

And, as reported in the Daily Mail, the Foreign Office has now confirmed the call did not take place.

Raab speaks to Chinese counterpart

Amid the rapidly unfolding events in Kabul, Dominic Raab said that he had discussed the situation in Afghanistan with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

“Discussed Afghanistan with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi today. We noted the importance of addressing security concerns, regional stability and addressing the humanitarian crisis,” Raab tweeted.

Raab also exchanged views with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne about the situation in Afghanistan.

He informed that Australia and the UK are united in evacuating people from the war-torn country and both the countries will evacuate nationals and Afghans who have worked for them.

“Spoke to Marise Payne this morning about the situation in Afghanistan. The UK & Australia are united in evacuating our nationals & Afghans who have worked for us, & working together for a coordinated international response to tackle security threats & the humanitarian crisis,” Raab said in a tweet.

A day earlier, Raab also exchanged views with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar.

Soon after the Taliban claimed control over the Afghan capital, several countries evacuated their diplomatic personnel from the country and hundreds of people flocked to the Kabul airport in an attempt to leave Afghanistan.

Over 60 countries including the US, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and Canada have urged “all parties” to safeguard the departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the war-torn country and said that roads, airports and border crossing must remain open. (with inputs from ANI)

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Raab, Jaishankar discuss Afghanistan situation

Dominic Raab also held talks over Afghanistan with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken…reports Asian Lite News.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his British counterpart Dominic Raab on Wednesday exchanged views on developments and the immediate challenges.

“Welcome the conversation today with UK Foreign Secretary @DominicRaab. Exchanged views on the Afghanistan developments and the immediate challenges,” Jaishankar, who is on a 4-day visit to the US, tweeted.

Dominic Raab also held talks over Afghanistan with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of the presidential palace.

Soon after the terror group claimed control over the Afghan capital, several countries evacuated their diplomatic personnel from the country, and hundreds of people flocked to the Kabul airport in an attempt to leave Afghanistan.

Over 60 countries including the US, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and Canada have urged “all parties” to safeguard the departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the war-torn country and said that roads, airports and border crossing must remain open. (ANI)

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UK Foreign Office sorry for LGBT staff ban

The official said he wanted “to apologise publicly for the ban and the impact it had on our LGBT staff and their loved ones, both here in the UK and abroad.”…reports Asian Lite News.

The UK Foreign Office apologized on Monday for the historic ban that prevented LGBT people from working in the British diplomatic service until 1991.

In a message to staff, Philip Barton, Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Head of the Diplomatic Service said: “The ban was in place because there was a perception that LGBT people were more susceptible than their straight counterparts to blackmail and, therefore, that they posed a security risk.”

The official said he wanted “to apologise publicly for the ban and the impact it had on our LGBT staff and their loved ones, both here in the UK and abroad.”

Baron claimed, however, that since the ban was lifted 30 years ago, the Foreign Office had made “great progress” in employing LGBT people and becoming a champion for LGBT rights around the world.

Xinhua quoting UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab reported that he also thanked the LGBT diplomats who represented the UK in the past or are working in the foreign service, and highlighted that as a co-chair of the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC), alongside Argentina, the UK is working with 41 partner countries to tackle discriminatory laws and prejudice globally.

The official apology comes as the UK prepares to co-host an ERC conference on July 6-7 as a preamble of the global LGBT global conference to be held in person in London in June 2022. (ANI)

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Raab, Jaishankar discuss regional issues

Meanwhile, Raab said London and New Delhi’s friendship is invaluable as the two countries tackle common challenges together from COVID-19 to climate change…reports Asian Lite News.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and held a discussion over progress in Afghanistan and the situation in Myanmar.

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said he and Raab discussed the state of the world, regional issues, COVID-19 and climate action.

“Met U.K. Foreign Secretary @DominicRaab this morning. Reviewed the progress of our bilateral Road Map. Discussed the state of the world, regional issues, Covid and Climate Action,” he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Raab said London and New Delhi’s friendship is invaluable as the two countries tackle common challenges together from COVID-19 to climate change.

Jaishankar and Raab are in Rome to attend the G20 ministerial meetings.

“At the G20 today @DrSJaishankar & I spoke about the UK-India 2030 Roadmap, progress in Afghanistan & the situation in Myanmar. The UK Flag of United Kingdom & India Flag of India friendship is invaluable as we tackle common challenges together, from Covid-19 to climate change, so we can #BuildBackBetter,” Raab tweeted. (ANI)

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