Sacked CBI boss Tony Danker: ‘Rape claim nothing to do with me’

Danker says he is ‘fall guy’ for group’s misconduct crisis and his reputation now ‘totally destroyed’

The recently-sacked boss of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) says his reputation had been “totally destroyed” following sexual misconduct allegations – claiming he had been made a “fall guy” by the business body.

Tony Danker said he had been wrongly associated with an allegation of rape and other sexual assault claims that allegedly occurred before he joined the CBI – insisting that they were nothing to do with him.

“I have had a week of coverage saying, ‘Tony Danker sacked in rape scandal’,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday.

“And these stories have been about rape and sexual assault and cocaine and bullying – none of that was anything to do with me. And it was all before my time.”

Mr Danker apologised for making some staff feel “very uncomfortable”, but said he had never used sexually suggestive language with employees.

Earlier this month police launched an investigation after the business group fired Mr Danker and suspended three other employees. The CBI board said his conduct “fell short” of what was expected.

In his first interview since his firing, Mr Danker said his name had been wrongly associated with separate claims, including rape, that allegedly occurred at the organisation before he had joined.

He said his termination letter had cited four reasons for his dismissal – for organising a secret and private karaoke party for 15 people, for viewing the Instagram accounts of CBI staff, for sending non-work related messages to staff and for inviting junior staff to breakfasts, lunches or one-on-one meetings.

While Mr Danker acknowledged he had made some staff feel “very uncomfortable” and he apologised for that, the former CBI boss insisted he had “never used sexually suggestive language with people” at the company.

“You know, there was an incident somebody raised a complaint about unwanted contact, which was verbal contact,” he added. “There was never any physical contact. I’ve never had any physical contact. I’ve never used any sexual language. I’ve never propositioned anybody.”

Tony Danker with Rishi Sunak at the CBI annual conference in 2022 (PA)

Mr Danker said his reputation had been “totally trashed” because these claims – which included drug use as well as serious sexual assault – emerged a matter of weeks after the CBI disclosed that it was looking into separate allegations of misconduct against him.

“It’s so clear – I’ve been made the fall guy. Not only did they throw me under the bus – they reversed the bus back over me … I feel I have to clear my name.”

Mr Danker acknowledged messaging around 200 individual staff members at the company but insisted it was to try and build “rapport” during lockdown and with colleagues who continued to work from home.

He said these messages said things such as “Hi, how are you? How was your weekend? Show me pictures of your dogs or your babies”.

The former CBI boss also said he invited junior staff, both male and female, for lunches and breakfasts to discuss their careers. “I’m on the news telling you things I recognise don’t sound great”, Mr Danker said – but insisted they were “not misconduct”.

Former CBI boss Tony Danker says his reputation is ‘totally destroyed’ (PA)

Detective chief superintendent Richard Waight earlier confirmed the City of London Police approached CBI following media reports of misconduct, but investigations were still at a “very early stage”.

The former CBI boss has also responded to his dismissal by saying on Twitter that the allegations against him had been “distorted”.

“I recognise the intense publicity the CBI has suffered following the revelations of awful events that occurred before my time in office,” he tweeted, referring to allegations against himself and others at the CBI.

The trade body was rocked by allegations of a toxic workplace culture since Mr Danker was last month accused of allegedly making unwanted contact with a woman who works for the CBI.

She considered the contact to be sexual harassment, The Guardian reported at the time. The group launched an investigation into his behaviour and he agreed to step down in the meantime.

The first part of this investigation by an outside law firm has been completed, the CBI said. “Tony Danker is dismissed with immediate effect following the independent investigation into specific complaints of workplace misconduct against him,” it said.

“The board wishes to make clear he is not the subject of any of the more recent allegations in The Guardian but has determined that his own conduct fell short of that expected of the director-general.”

It comes after the newspaper said it was approached by more than a dozen women who claimed to be victims of various forms of sexual misconduct by senior members of the CBI who were not Mr Danker. One woman said she was raped at a staff party.