Douglas Alexander, the former chair of Unicef UK who stood down after accusations of bullying, has been cleared of wrongdoing in an independent review. The review, by the international law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius UK, found claims of bullying and improper behaviour were unsubstantiated and there was no evidence. Claims by the former executive director of Unicef UK, Sacha Deshmukh, who quit his role in September alleging he had been bullied by Alexander, were found not to be substantiated. “There is no evidence, apart from Sacha Deshmukh’s account, that indicated there was bullying behaviour by Douglas Alexander towards Sacha Deshmukh,” the report said. “The evidence received from others and the contemporaneous communications suggest there was a warm and professional relationship between the two of them.” The review also found that between 27 June 2018 and late September 2019, three Unicef UK staff members informally raised issues about Alexander’s conduct, but these “did not amount to bullying”. “Apart from some tense moments in a meeting (that was described by attendees as a difficult meeting) where Douglas Alexander’s conduct was seen to be assertive and curt, and one occasion where he was seen to have a heated discussion with a senior [Unicef UK] person, nobody witnessed any behaviour which could amount to bullying.” However, the review acknowledged, “the three staff members clearly did experience discomfort in dealing with Douglas Alexander and found his approach upsetting to them”. It also said Alexander should not have been involved in the charity’s media response to Deshmukh’s resignation, although “there is no evidence of Douglas Alexander saying or approving anything that might have led to any inaccurate media reporting”. Deshmukh’s allegations, first reported by the trade magazine Third Sector, led Unicef UK to launch a review into the allegations and Alexander stood down as chair shortly afterwards. Responding to the review’s findings, Alexander said: “I am pleased but not surprised that I have been exonerated by this thorough and independent review rejecting the allegations of bullying and improper conduct made against me. The findings of the review confirm that these false allegations briefed to the media were without foundation. “While it has been distressing for me to have my reputation attacked in this way, after an unblemished record of public service, of greater concern has been the impact these false allegations have had on the dedicated staff and important mission of Unicef UK. “It is deeply regrettable that these allegations, that have been confirmed as baseless, have been aired in a way that has caused so much cost, disruption and adverse publicity to an organisation undertaking vital work for the world’s children.” Alexander, 53, had been chair of Unicef UK since 2018, and was previously an MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South from 1997 to 2015, serving in a number of ministerial positions under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Unicef UK said it had “already reviewed and strengthened policies and processes and will continue to examine further best practice in light of the review”. Shatish Dasani, the interim chair of Unicef UK, said: “We will be learning from the findings of this independent external review to ensure that we can fulfil our purpose of supporting Unicef’s mission to protect the rights of every child, everywhere. “The board and management are committed to a safe, inclusive and enabling work environment in support of our work for children.”