Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: After a brief, two-week-long political honeymoon, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday suffered the first real jolt when his controversial Cabinet Minister Without Portfolio Sir Gavin Williamson, accused of abusive behavior towards fellow Members of Parliament and civil servants, resigned.
It is not clear if a brewing political crisis at home forced PM Sunak on Tuesday to leave a key meeting in a huff midway at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), currently underway in Egypt.
The first embarrassment the newly minted Indian-origin PM faced was when, immediately after taking oath on October 24, he re-appointed another Indian-origin MP Suella Braverman as Home Secretary despite her controversial past statements that delayed the proposed Indian-British bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Even now, he is facing pressure over why he reappointed Braverman just weeks after she was forced to resign from the Liz Truss regime for breaking ministerial rules by sending an official document to a fellow MP from her personal email.
In the Williamson episode, Sunak will face the angry MPs at the Prime Minister’s Questions about his judgment in appointing Sir Gavin a minister, despite his being accused of bullying lawmakers and civil servants.
The main Opposition, Labour Party, said the episode shows “poor judgment and leadership” of the PM, the media reported.
Sir Gavin was appointed a minister after Sunak, a close political ally, won the Tory leadership just two weeks ago.
In his resignation letter, Sir Gavin refuted the “characterization” of the complaints “about my past conduct” but felt they had become a “distraction from the good work the government is doing.”
He said he had apologized to the recipient of the text messages and would comply with the complaints process to “clear my name of any wrongdoing.”
He also tweeted that he would not be taking any severance pay, traditionally given to ministers when they leave office.
PM Sunak said he accepted the resignation “with great sadness” and thanked Sir Gavin for his “personal support and loyalty.”
“Your commitment to successive Conservative governments and the party over the years has been unwavering,” he said.
Complaints against him first emerged when a news outlet published a series of expletive-laden texts he sent last month to then-Chief Whip Wendy Morton. He complained about his non-invitation to the Queen’s funeral and almost accused Ms. Morton of “rigging” ticket allocations against MPs not “favored” by then-PM Liz Truss.
He reportedly warned Ms. Morton “not to push him about” and said that “there is a price for everything.”
Another media report quoted a senior civil servant that, during his time as Defense Secretary, Sir Gavin told them to “slit your throat” and, on another occasion, to “jump out of the window.”
On Tuesday, his former deputy, Anne Milton, also claimed he had behaved in a “threatening” and “intimidating” way towards MPs while serving as chief whip.
Former Conservative Party Chair Jake Berry said he apprised Sunak about Ms. Morton’s complaint on October 24, the day before Sir Gavin’s appointment.
Sunak’s office, 10 Downing Street, said the PM “knew there was a disagreement” but that he did not know the “substance” of the messages until they were published.
Sir Gavin’s case has been reported to the MPs’ bullying watchdog, the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme, over his WhatsApp messages to Ms. Morton.
On Monday, PM Sunak remarked that the language Sir Gavin used in the texts was “not acceptable,” but asked if it amounted to bullying, he said it was “right” to let an independent complaints process conclude.
Sir Gavin’s latest resignation episode marks the third time he was forced from the government. In 2019, he was sacked as defense secretary after allegedly leaking sensitive information related to Huawei’s potential involvement in the UK’s 5G network.
Later that year, then PM Boris Johnson inducted him as the Education Secretary but removed him in 2021 over his inept handling of A-level exams during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner called Sir Gavin’s appointment last month “astonishing” and said it showed “poor judgment and lack of leadership and weakness” by the PM.
Sir Gavin should stand down as an MP if the bullying claims are proven. “There is no place for bullies in parliament,” she said.
David Lammy, shadow foreign secretary, remarked that Sir Gavin’s behavior was “repellent, odious and unacceptable” and questioned why he had been appointed to a ministerial position in Sunak’s government.
“He appointed him as some sort of enforcer – apparently because this is the way he behaves… we really should know why he came back into government – it’s not clear in the first place why this individual was knighted for services to this country,” Lammy said.
Liberal Democrats’ deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “Rishi Sunak has serious questions to answer about why he appointed Gavin Williamson, then stood by him instead of sacking him. His promise to lead a government of integrity has now been left in tatters.”