TORY Cabinet minister Gavin Williamson is under official investigation after allegedly sending “threatening” messages to his party’s former chief whip, according to reports.
Wendy Morton, who served as Conservative chief whip under Liz Truss, is said to have submitted screenshots of “vile and threatening” messages sent over weeks to the party headquarters.
A friend of Williamson, a former education secretary who was awarded a controversial knighthood by Boris Johnson, told Tortoise he “strongly refutes these allegations”.
Williamson, who has twice been sacked from Cabinet, was given the role of minister without portfolio at the Cabinet Office by Rishi Sunak when he took power in October.
READ MORE: Rishi Sunak asked if Scotland is 'hostage in British colony'
The new Prime Minister had his judgment called into question after reappointing Suella Braverman as Home Secretary just days after she was forced to quit over breaching the ministerial code.
The fresh allegations against Williamson have sparked similar concerns.
Angela Rayner, Labour's deputy leader, said: "These new revelations raise fresh questions about Rishi Sunak’s woeful judgment in resurrecting ministers who left Government under a cloud of misconduct.
"Gavin Williamson was sacked from Cabinet twice, yet despite risking national security he has now been put at the heart of the Government's corporate headquarters.
"Given his new role and the seriousness of these allegations, there must be an urgent and independent investigation.
"Far from restoring integrity, professionalism, and accountability, Rishi Sunak is failing to stop the rot. He promised that appointing an independent ethics adviser would be one of the first things he would do as Prime Minister, but instead he has given us more of the same old sleaze."
Security concerns were raised about Williamson's reappointment as he was sacked as defence secretary in 2019 following an inquiry into a leak from the National Security Council.
During Sunak's first PMQs, he was asked by Labour MP Stephen Kinnock if he had sought or received "any advice on security concerns about [Williamson] before his appointment to the Government yesterday, given that he was sacked in 2019 for leaking sensitive information relating to our national security?”
Sunak avoided answering the question, saying only that the incident "happened four years ago".
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel