Dominic Raab is accused of leaving employees feeling “suicidal” and behaving like an “abusive” partner

UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab is being investigated by at least 24 officers over eight formal complaints of bullying.

Staff reportedly felt “suicidal” and accused Mr Raab of behaving like a “controlling and abusive” partner.

Some officials say Mr Raab set up impossible rules and then belittled and humiliated them when they weren’t delivered.

Other officials, however, report absenteeism and weight loss due to the work environment.

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab is accused of leaving staff feeling “suicidal” and behaving like a “controlling and abusive” partner

A senior Tory has warned Rishi Sunak against treating bullying allegations with “snowflakes” today as Dominic Raab faces fresh pressure

A source told The Mirror: “He changes his behavior depending on whether you’re an official over whom he has control or another government minister.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing renewed questions about giving Mr Raab a senior government role after the bullying allegations emerged last March.

Downing Street sources told the Times the Prime Minister was not “directly briefed” and officials have never advised against appointing Raab.

Adam Tolley KC is leading an investigation into complaints about Mr Raab’s behavior which it is believed could take weeks or months to complete.

The Guardian reported that former Foreign Office permanent secretary Simon McDonald testified after admitting that the deputy prime minister could plausibly be called a bully.

Reports say that Antonia Romeo, the permanent secretary of the Justice Department, and Sir Philip Rycroft, who headed the department for exiting the European Union when Mr Raab was Brexit Secretary, were now also witnesses in the enquiry.

Mr Raab served as Foreign Secretary, Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

One officer claimed he was “very rude and aggressive, at times completely arbitrary” and for “arbitrary” reasons.

Mr Raab has repeatedly denied the bullying allegations and has promised to fully refute the claims.

He has insisted he welcomes the investigation and believes he did the right thing at all times.

However, a senior official is understood to have testified in the inquest.

Meanwhile, Jacob Rees-Mogg insisted ministers must be able to make “reasonable” demands on officials and ask if they are doing “good offices”.

Mr Rees-Mogg told Sky News: “I think we have to be a bit cautious about the bullying allegations.

“We must not be too snowflake-like. People need to be able to say that this work has not been done well enough and needs to be done better.

“It’s a very difficult line to judge. It’s not a simple problem in most cases. How did someone react, what did someone say, is it reasonable to demand a level of good service from high-level and well-paid professionals? And then you have to assess whether that limit has been crossed. But I’m worried we’ll get a bit of snowflake over it.

He said it was “perfectly reasonable” for Mr Raab to remain in place during the investigation.