Dominic Raab news – live: Sunak to hire independent investigator to probe bullying claims

Downing Street says PM still has confidence in his deputy amid mounting bullying claims

Full exchange: Angela Rayner grills Dominic Raab over bullying complaints at PMQs

Rishi Sunak will appoint an “independent investigator” to examine complaints made by staff who worked for Dominic Raab, but is unable to say when the probe will start.

Work is underway to find a person with “requisite experience” – in the absence of a permanent ethics adviser, after Boris Johnson failed to fill the role, No 10 said.

But a spokeswoman could not say the investigation will start by Christmas, saying: “I’m not going to put a date on it”.

Earlier, Mr Raab accused Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner of “bluster and mudslinging” as she challenged him on the bullying allegations at Prime Minister’s Questions.

Just hours before the session the justice secretary and deputy PM confirmed that he was at the centre of two formal complaints.

One of the complaints relates to the cabinet minister’s time as foreign secretary, a role he held from 2019 to 2021, while the other relates to his first spell as justice secretary from 2021 to 2022.

Key points

• Sunak to hire independent investigator to probe bullying claims
• Raab accuses Rayner of ‘bluster and mudslinging'
• Raab hit with formal complaints ahead of PMQs
• Economic situation at home ‘number one priority’, Sunak says
• UK inflation jumps to new 40-year high of 11.1 per cent
• Lifting of cap on bankers’ bonuses expected in chancellor’s autumn budget

[16 November 2022 04:50 · Namita Singh]

Biden convenes ‘emergency’ G7 and Nato meeting after Russian-made rockets strike Poland

Leaders of Nato and G7 nations have agreed at an emergency meeting convened by US President Joe Biden to support Poland’s investigation into a strike on its territory by a Russian-made rocket.

The explosion in the Nato member state, which is understood to have killed at least two people, came as a wave of Russian missiles hit civilian targets across Ukraine, including capital Kyiv.

Nato and G7 leaders, including Mr Biden and British prime minister Rishi Sunak condemned the assault on Ukraine as “barbaric”.

More in this joint report from Andrew Woodcock and Andrew Feinberg:

[16 November 2022 04:41 · Namita Singh]

Lifting of cap on bankers’ bonuses expected in chancellor’s autumn budget

Jeremy Hunt is expected to lift the cap on bankers’ bonuses when he delivers his autumn budget tomorrow.

The Financial Times first reported the chancellor will make the lifting of the cap one of the few measures to survive from Kwasi Kwarteng’s disastrous mini-budget, as he bids to use the autumn statement to restore the UK’s economic credibility.

Earlier, the prime minister urged bosses to keep down their pay in order not to exacerbate inflation.

Read the details in this report:

[16 November 2022 04:03 · Namita Singh]

Welcome to The Independent’s UK politics blog for Wednesday, 16 November 2022 where we provide the latest from Westminster.