The now-former minister of the Cabinet Office stated that allegations against him were “becoming a distraction” and that he would “clear [his] name of any wrongdoing.”
Sir Gavin Williamson resigned from the government in response to allegations of bullying, stating that he will “clear his name of any wrongdoing.”
His departure occurred shortly after an ex-civil servant filed a formal complaint against the Cabinet Office minister, alleging that Sir Gavin instructed them to “slit your throat.”
Sir Gavin stated in his resignation letter, which he released on Twitter, that he “disputes the characterization of these charges” but that the allegations were “becoming a distraction for the fantastic job this government is doing for the British people.”
As a result, he “decided to resign from government” and would “completely cooperate with the complaints procedure.”
In his reaction, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that he accepted the resignation “with profound grief,” but added, “I respect your decision to quit and understand why you did so.
Angela Rayner, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, stated that the events demonstrated “yet another Tory government has sunk into anarchy.”
Sir Gavin was accused over the weekend of sending nasty texts to Wendy Morton, the former chief whip, after being excluded from the Queen’s burial, according to sources.
Ms. Morton filed a complaint with the Conservative Party regarding the texts, but she stated earlier today that she was reporting him to the Independent Complaints and Grievances Scheme (ICGS), the independent watchdog of the British Parliament.
On Monday, a further complaint appeared, with a former Ministry of Defence staffer claiming that Sir Gavin had instructed them to “slit your throat” and, on another occasion, “jump out of the window” as part of a persistent campaign of bullying.
Earlier, this former public servant indicated they would also be attending the ICGS since the incidents had a “severe effect” on their mental health.
Sir Gavin wrote to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who had nominated him to his new cabinet only two weeks prior and who had supported his minister throughout the week “As you are aware, there is an ongoing complaints procedure regarding the text messages I sent to a coworker [Ms. Morton]. I have complied with this procedure and apologized to the receiver for sending such texts.
“Since then, additional complaints have been made about my past actions. I deny the characterization of these assertions, but I acknowledge that they are becoming a diversion from the government’s outstanding work for the British people.
“I have consequently chosen to resign from the government to cooperate completely with the ongoing complaints procedure and cleanse my name of any wrongdoing.”
He stated that he tendered his resignation with “deep regret” and that he was “proud” to have served for his administration.
Labour’s Ms. Rayner pointed the finger at the PM, alleging Mr. Sunak had chosen Sir Gavin “with full awareness of serious concerns about his behavior and consistently expressed confidence in him” and the events of the previous weak had been “a terrible reflection of a weak prime minister.
She added: “This is another instance of Rishi Sunak’s bad judgment and ineffective leadership. He is incapable of putting the country above the party due to the shady backroom agreements he made to avoid a vote.
Sir Gavin served as Theresa May’s chief whip from 2016 to November 2017 and as defense secretary from November 2017 to May 2019 but was removed due to a dispute over a government leak.
Boris Johnson rehired him as education secretary two months later, but he has fired again in September 2021 following widespread criticism of his management of the brief during the epidemic.
Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, said: “This should be Gavin Williamson’s third and final expulsion from the Cabinet.
“Rishi Sunak has big questions to answer about why he appointed Gavin Williamson, then stayed by him instead of firing him. His vow to head a government of honesty has now been left in shambles.”
