Sir Gavin Williamson has been reported to Parliament’s bullying watchdog over abusive messages to a colleague. Leaked messages show Tory minister Sir Gavin threatening ex-chief whip Wendy Morton and accusing her of excluding some MPs from the Queen’s funeral. Separately a senior civil servant has accused Sir Gavin of “demeaning and intimidating” them, according to the Guardian. He has “strongly” rejected allegations of bullying. A series of messages sent by Sir Gavin to Ms Morton were published on Sunday. In them, he appears to complain MPs who were not “favored” by then-Prime Minister Liz Truss were being excluded from the ceremony at Westminster Abbey. He accused Ms Morton of “rigging” the ticket allocation to punish people – including himself – who were not supportive enough of Ms Truss. Sir Gavin reportedly warned Ms Morton “not to push him about” and that “there is a price for everything”. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the language Sir Gavin used was “not acceptable”, but No 10 insisted he still has confidence in him. Gavin Williamson texts unacceptable, PM says Williamson denies fresh bullying allegations Who is Sir Gavin Williamson? Last month, Ms Morton sent the messages to the Conservative Party after making a formal complaint about Sir Gavin’s behaviour. On Tuesday, she referred Sir Gavin to Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS). The independent body looks into claims of parliamentarians and staff who feel they have been bullied or harassed. Last year, investigations by the ICGS took 216 days on average to complete.
Under the process, complaints are initially assessed by an external investigator. A decision is then made on whether to move to a full investigation. Sir Gavin told the Sunday Times: “I of course regret getting frustrated about the way colleagues and I felt we were being treated.” Asked if it amounted to bullying, Mr Sunak said “an independent complaints process” was under way and it would be “right to let that process conclude”. Chair of the Labour Party Anneliese Dodds said Ms Morton’s decision to report Sir Gavin to the ICGS shows a “lack of faith in the Conservative Party complaints process”. “The buck stops with Rishi Sunak,” she said. “He was warned about Gavin Williamson’s behaviour and appointed him anyway.”
Sir Gavin was brought back into government by Mr Sunak, after helping run the prime minister’s leadership campaign. The former architectural design firm director, 46, had served as defence secretary under Theresa May and education secretary under Boris Johnson, and was sacked from both roles. Sir Gavin was appointed Minister without Portfolio on the first day of Mr Sunak’s premiership. His current governmental responsibilities are not clear. Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said Sir Gavin’s role in government was “very important”. Mr Stride told Times Radio: “I think Gavin is somebody who, as I say, has particular talents and a particular understanding of the parliamentary party.” The deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, Daisy Cooper, has said his return raised “yet more serious questions about Rishi Sunak’s judgement”. “If the prime minister was serious about restoring integrity he would sack Gavin Williamson,” she said.
Defence allegations
An unnamed official told the Guardian Sir Gavin told him to “slit your throat” and “jump out of the window” when he was defence secretary. The official said they raised concerns to the Ministry of Defence’s human resources department but made no formal complaint. Mr Stride told Sky News it would be “utterly, utterly unacceptable” if Sir Gavin did make the comment. Sir Gavin was Defence Secretary between 2017 and 2019 under Theresa May, until he was forced to resign after details of network were leaked. In a statement, Sir Gavin said: “I strongly reject this allegation and have enjoyed good working relationships with the many brilliant officials I have worked with across government. “No specific allegations have ever been brought to my attention.” Mr Williamson does not deny using the language.
Gavin Williamson is not a universally popular figure. That’s being polite. Some of his colleagues don’t have much time for him at all. But he has been a key ally of Rishi Sunak in recent months as the prime minister fought his way into Downing Street. He was rewarded with a ministerial job and a seat around the cabinet table. It’s not completely clear yet what that job involves, but he’s based in the Cabinet Office with another key Sunak ally, Oliver Dowden. Mr Sunak appears to be trying to ride this one out at the moment, waiting to see what happens with a complaint made by Wendy Morton. But Sir Gavin has many critics who dislike his style and think his influence is exaggerated.
