Europe News Desk!!! Indian-origin COP26 president and former UK business secretary Alok Sharma has denied allegations of bullying by civil servants, saying he was never made aware of any complaints from employees. According to a Bloomberg report, four senior officials accused Sharma of being difficult, unpredictable and quick to lose his temper, including scolding, using profanity, etc. Two of the four staff members who worked with Sharma between 2020 and 2022 said he scolded junior civil servants on Microsoft Teams for their work during the pandemic. Employees claimed that concerns about Sharma’s behavior were raised with senior managers on at least four occasions in 2020, but no formal complaints were made.
One of them told Bloomberg that he turned to antidepressants and mental health support to cope with the pressure of working under the minister. In response to the reports, Sharma told Bloomberg, “I have never been made aware of any informal complaints or complaints from employees.” The Cabinet Office has confirmed that there is no record of any informal or formal complaints about me to the Government. I deny these allegations. I have worked with hundreds of officials as a government minister and have always felt that I have maintained a good rapport with them. The report of Sharma’s bullying claims comes days before Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab resigned from the government on Friday after an independent report found he had bullied officials. Born in Agra, Sharma moved to the UK when he was just five years old. Last year, he was honored by King Charles III for his contribution to combating climate change as the President of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference.
–IANS
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