Compass calls on progressives to work together to oust ‘dangerous’ Raab
Compass campaigners have called on progressives to work together to oust Surrey MP Dominic Raab at the next general election amid allegations he bullied several dozen members of staff.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ordered an investigation into Raab’s conduct in November after a group of officials came forward to complain about his behaviour. Raab denies the claims.
Members of Surrey Compass, a cross-party campaign group that brings together Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green Party activists, said the allegations showed Raab was ‘not fit to serve in government’ and urged him to resign.
Surrey Compass member and Elmbridge Borough Councillor for Long Ditton Jeremy Langham said: “He’s not fit to serve in government, and he’s not fit to be our local MP. We need zero tolerance towards bullying – with the scale of allegations against Raab, is it right that he continues to manage civil servants as a Minister and visit schools as a local MP?
“The residents of Esher & Walton deserve better. They are ashamed of Dominic Raab and his sleazy Government.
“He must resign – we need a local MP who will put people first and be a voice that is respected and trusted.”
He added: “All in all, I firmly believe he is an example of how the combination of first past the post and an ultra-safe seat can put someone entirely unfit for managing people in charge of significant parts of our country’s system of government.
“He is one of the best examples as to why our electoral system must change. It is putting inappropriate people into government – people who are a danger to their staff, the country and ultimately themselves.
“I still couldn’t tell you one positive thing he has achieved whilst a part of this, or the previous two governments.”
Dominic Raab has been the MP for Esher and Walton since 2010. He inherited a majority of 18,593, which increased to 28,616 in 2015.
But the last general election saw a surge in support for the Liberal Democrats and his majority was slashed to just 2,743.
The overall progressive vote in the constituency now outnumbers the Conservative vote, and Compass campaigners are calling on supporters of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party to rally behind the best-placed candidate to beat Raab next time around.
Gerry Mitchell, coordinator of Surrey Compass, said: “The quality of politics has reached such a low. When you think it can’t get any lower, it just plummets to a new nadir. I think that does drive people, because they want a better quality of local and national democracy.
“We need a more collaborative political culture. Progressives just need to get into a room and build trust and build those alliances at a local level.
“The Conservatives have shown they can’t work with the civil service, they can’t even work within the cabinet.
“Raab’s behaviour is symbolic of their inability to cooperate, collaborate and reflect what the politics of the future has to be.”
Win As One, which launched in December, is a new campaign from Compass focussed on facilitating collaboration in key seats across the country to help a progressive government win power.
Win As One will seek to back progressive candidates who commit to Proportional Representation and electoral reform, and will work with Compass activists to build alliances at a local level.
If you’re interested in working to prevent Esher and Walton being another progressive tragedy at the next GE, you can contact Surrey Compass via email at surreywidecompass@gmail.com or find them on Twitter here.
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For more information please contact:
Harry Gold, Compass Media and Press Officer
harry@compassonline.org.uk +44 (0) 7500560643