Rishi Sunak has received the findings of an investigation into whether Dominic Raab bullied his staff, Downing Street has said.
The deputy prime minister’s future in government hangs in the balance, with the prime minister expected to decide whether or not to sack him later on Thursday.
Raab, who is also the justice secretary, has been under investigation for months after more than eight formal complaints were made about his behaviour.
The PM’s spokesperson said Sunak was “carefully considering” the conclusions of senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC who was tasked with reviewing the allegations.
No.10 said Sunak still had “full confidence” in Raab while he examined the findings.
Tolley’s report is due to be made public later today, although the precise timing is unclear.
Raab has previously said he is not a bully and always “behaved professionally” towards officials.
According to The Guardian, senior Ministry of Justice officials could quit if Raab is cleared of the allegations.
A decision not to sanction him would be “demoralising” for staff in the department, the newspaper quoted a source as saying.
One person involved in the process described the review as “devastating” while a senior government official said Raab was “toast”, according to the Financial Times.
The deputy prime minister is a close ally of Sunak and was an early supporter off his first leadership bid against Liz Truss last summer.