Exclusive: At least three department officials allegedly felt pushed out by MP’s behaviour as business secretary
Kemi Badenoch, the frontrunner to be the next Conservative party leader, has been accused of creating an intimidating atmosphere in the government department she used to run, with some colleagues describing it as toxic, the Guardian can reveal.
They were said to have “dreaded” meetings, as they claimed individuals were regularly left feeling humiliated by Badenoch and reduced to tears afterwards on a handful of occasions. The allegations were never the subject of an official investigation, but sources said officials had spoken privately to the department’s permanent secretary, Gareth Davies, about Badenoch’s alleged behaviour over the last year.
They suggested she had “favourites” as well as people she appeared to “single out”. Two sources claimed her behaviour could also be “passive-aggressive”. One staff member who left their role did so after being repeatedly “berated and demeaned” by Badenoch, a source close to the individual said, adding that during their final few months in the post they were left shaking or on the verge of tears on several occasions.
According to the survey, bullying can be characterised as “offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour” as well as a misuse of power in ways that “undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure” the recipient.
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