THE political past is catching up with Rishi Sunak and could help determine his future as Prime Minister. As he sits in his Downing St bunker, the PM could be forgiven for thinking will he ever wake up from what he last week dubbed a “nightmare job”.

Having, early on, lost Cabinet ally Gavin Williamson, forced to resign over bullying allegations, the PM reappointed Suella Braverman as Home Secretary even though she had days earlier quit for breaking the ministerial code. Last weekend, he sacked the Conservative Chairman Nadhim Zahawi over his tax affairs and now faces the prospect of losing his deputy, Dominic Raab, over more bullying allegations spanning several years and different departments.

And let’s not forget those ghastly ghosts of Number 10, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, still stalking the Westminster ramparts and who might well be prepared to cause more trouble for their successor, directly or indirectly.

No one doubts the blonde Beatle’s desire to get back behind the Downing St desk. Last week, he gave encouragement to right-wingers, saying he had “no doubt” the UK Government would start to lower the tax burden “when the time comes”.

Meanwhile Truss, shamelessly unbowed by her thankfully brief, cack-handed premiership, was expected to break her silence this weekend in a Sunday newspaper, adding her voice to the calls for Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to introduce swift tax cuts. Which he won’t.

However, the main headache for Sunak is the negative momentum building over the Raab saga with bad headlines coming thick and fast.

Yesterday, one told us how Jake Berry, the ex-Tory Chairman, was calling for Raab to be suspended until the inquiry into bullying allegations against him was over. The Lancashire knight argued ministers were "not some form of special human being" and should be treated "like anyone else".

The probe, led by Adam Tolley KC, is looking at Raab’s period as Foreign Secretary, Brexit Secretary and Justice Secretary; so, they cover a deal of time.

In recent days, the political focus has been on what the PM knew when he appointed the Surrey MP as his deputy. While the Downing St mantra has been he wasn’t aware of any “formal” complaints, the question about whether he knew of any informal ones remains unanswered; raising suspicions he did.

It’s been suggested in March 2022 a formal complaint was made to Antonia Romeo, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice, who informed Simon Case, Whitehall’s top official and Cabinet Secretary. This was several months before Sunak reappointed Raab as Justice Secretary. Intriguingly, Downing St hasn’t denied Case was told.

It was claimed some civil servants at the Ministry complained about how the Secretary of State had created a “perverse culture of fear”. Officials are said to have felt demeaned and been left in tears; some even sought medical help because of stress.

The problem for Sunak and Raab is the sheer number of people involved in the complaints process. Some 24 civil servants are directly involved while many more have submitted written statements backing up the complainants.

Last year, Lord McDonald, onetime chief mandarin at the Foreign Office, claimed Raab was so abrasive and demeaning to junior staff many were “scared” to enter his office.

Recently, Philip Rycroft, Permanent Secretary at the Brexit Department under Raab, admitted he was “pleased the investigation is happening,” adding a resolution to the issue was “long overdue”.

One unnamed minister told the BBC: “Everyone in Westminster, I mean everyone, has known about this for ages. It's no secret. And anyone, who says they haven't, has chosen not to listen. He should have gone ages ago.”

Another minister added: “There isn't much sympathy for him but due process must be followed.”

Amid all of this, the DPM has maintained his innocence, insisting he has “behaved professionally throughout,” making “no apologies for having high standards”.

His supporters are adamant Raab won’t go voluntarily. Some Tory colleagues insist they don’t recognise the picture of him as a “horrible” bully, insisting he is a decent, hard-working, competent minister with high professional standards and who has “zero tolerance for bullying”.

One ex-colleague went further, claiming: “There is a clear attempt by a group of politically-motivated mandarins to get him.”

But Dave Penman of the union for top civil servants was dismissive of this suggestion, asking: “Are we really saying two dozen civil servants in three different Government departments over a period of four years have got together in some massive conspiracy? That just doesn’t sound credible.”

Interestingly, last week Raab was sitting next to Sunak at PMQs; a clear show of support by the PM. The Justice Secretary shook his head and muttered as Keir Starmer branded him a “bully,” arguing his boss was simply too weak to get rid of him.

Of course, in terms of the ministerial code, Sunak remains the final arbiter. If there are shades of grey in the Tolley report - it could arrive later this month - then the PM will do his utmost to lean heavily on them to keep his chum in Cabinet.

To lose the Tory Party Chairman was bad enough, to lose his deputy and confidant would be a bitter blow to Sunak, who, given the nightmarish circumstances, needs all the friends he can get.

If Raab were to go, serious questions would be asked about Sunak’s judgement. Johnsonites would be sharpening their knives.

On Friday, Boris was asked by ex-Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries in an obsequious TalkTV interview, who he would rather be stuck in a lift with: Nicola Sturgeon or Keir Starmer?

The ex-PM generously suggested they were “actually far nicer and more amusing than you might otherwise imagine” but pulled back on the idea of sharing a confined space with them if the lift was, say, on the 50th floor. Tolerance has its limits.

Yet if Sunak were asked who he would rather be stuck in a lift with - Boris Johnson or Liz Truss - his answer might include the words “eyes” and “needles”.