GAV IT UP
Gavin Williamson RESIGNS from Cabinet following fresh bullying accusations – as he apologises for ‘distraction’
SHAMED Sir Gavin Williamson was ousted from the Cabinet for the THIRD time last night.
Rishi Sunak accepted the resignation of his controversial ally after a string of bullying claims engulfed his new government.
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The rookie PM now faces a major backlash over why he resurrected the Tory from the political wilderness and gave him a seat back at the top table.
The self-proclaimed “master of the dark arts” had played a key role whipping MPs into supporting Mr Sunak during his two attempts to enter No10 this year.
But the Cabinet Office minister quit just hours after Downing Street cut him loose, warning the PM would not wait for the outcome of a growing number of investigations into his bad behaviour.
But sources last night insisted Mr Sunak had not ordered Sir Gavin to go, despite a torrent of allegations.
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Mr Sunak expressed his “great sadness” in seeing his close ally leave the Cabinet.
And he pointedly thanked Sir Gavin for his “personal support and loyalty" after his work on his leadership campaigns.
The embattled minister faced at least three separate probes into four-letter abuse sent by him to a female colleague - and claims he told an aide to “slit their throat” in 2018.
Just days ago Mr Sunak told The Sun his words were "unacceptable" and "not right", but stood by his decision to rehire him.
But the knockout blow came on Monday after his former deputy blew the whistle on “intimidating” behaviour the Cabinet Minister displayed while Chief Whip - including threats to exploit a colleague’s money worries and another’s heavy drinking.
The PM faced defending him at PMQs this morning after a string of damaging revelations against him before he quit shortly before 8pm last night.
Sir Gavin was previously sacked under Theresa May after being accused of leaking national security information.
And he was later fired by Boris Johnson after a bungling spell at the Department for Education during Covid.
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But the latest slew of accusations to hit Sir Gavin after he was controversially parachuted into the heart of Rishi Sunak’s government just two weeks ago.
Ex-deputy chief whip Anne Milton, who worked with Sir Gavin during Theresa May’s premiership, turned the screw with fresh claims of “unethical and immoral” behaviour.
Recalling a time they helped out a Tory MP in financial trouble, she told Channel 4: “I do remember him asking me to give the MP in question the cheque. And he waved it under my nose and said, 'Make sure when you give him this cheque, he knows I now own him’.”
NOT THE FIRST TIME GAVIN WILLIAMSON IS LEAVING UNDER A STORM
By HARRY COLE, Political Editor
SHAMED Sir Gavin Williamson is out of the Cabinet for the THIRD time in his toxic political career.
Fired as Defence Secretary for leaking state secrets and from Education for being useless, MPs were aghast when Rishi Sunak resurrected the self-proclaimed "master of the dark arts" two weeks ago.
But the new PM felt it was safer to have this incessant plotter and schemer in his tent peeing out, rather than working against him on the backbenches.
Now Sunak is in the worst of all worlds - forced to make an enemy of Williamson and take all the political grief of having hired him in the first place.
The former fireplace salesman has long traded on his reputation as a Westminster hardman, not afraid to use the poker to bend MPs to his will - famously keeping a pet tarantula and then a riding crop on his desk.
He played a central role in bringing down PMs that have fired him before, from Theresa May to Boris Johnson - and then PM who shunned him in Liz Truss.
But Sunak was eager to turn a blind eye and use Williamson's whipping prowess in his two leadership campaigns this year - with the reward being a seat back at his top table.
Quickly a slew of allegations hit Sunak's nascent government - from four-letter bullying text messages to Truss's Chief Whip, and shocking allegations Williamson told a civil servant to "slit their throat" in 2018.
The knock out blow came last night after his own former deputy accused him of letting a alcoholic MP suffer for political gain, and using a senior Tory's debts for leverage.
At the height of the furore over the Salisbury Novichok attack in March 2018, Sir Gavin urged Russia to "go away and shut up".
Now the Mr Sunak will be praying Williamson will heed his own advice - but nobody in Parliament expects him to go quietly.
With the PM due on his feet in the Commons at noon on Wednesday, its now Sunak in the firing line.
Two weeks ago on the steps of No10, the new PM vowed to lead a Government of "integrity, professionalism, and accountability at every level".
With the sorry saga of Sir Gav, that claim looks very shaky now.
On another occasion he let rip over email when a female civil servant asked why a minister’s travel plans had changed, she claimed.
He allegedly said: “Always tell them to f*** off and if they have the bollocks to come and see me. F****** jumped up civil servants.”
Ms Milton said Sir Gavin relished learning “salacious gossip” including the “sexual preferences” of politicians.
She likened the top Tory, who famously kept a tarantula called Cronus in his office, to the shadowy Francis Urquart in House of Cards.
A Tory Party probe is already looking at expletive-laden texts he sent to former Chief Whip Wendy Morton, who is also understood to have complained to Parliament’s bullying watchdog.
The Cabinet Office could also launch an investigation into claims Sir Gavin once told a civil servant to “slit your throat” during his time as Defence Secretary.
Government sources said he did not deny using those words but rejected it amounted to bullying.
But Williamson ally Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride was insisting yesterday afternoon that Sir Gavin would still be in post by Christmas.
And he said his friend had been brought back by Sunak as he had "a particular talent and particular understand of the parliamentary party."
In his resignation letter last night Sir Gavin said he “refuted the characterisation” of the allegations but recognised they were becoming a “distraction” to the government.
He said: “It is with real sadness that I tender my resignation, but I want to take this opportunity to offer my full and total support from the back benches.”
Sir Gavin said there was an ongoing complaints process "concerning text messages I sent to a colleague" - a reference to Ms Morton's complaint.
"I am complying with this process and I have apologised to the recipient for those messages," he said.
"Since then, there have been other allegations made about my past conduct. I refute the characterisation of these claims, but I recognise these are becoming a distraction for the good work this Government is doing for the British people.
"I have therefore decided to step back from Government so that I can comply fully with the complaints process that is underway and clear my name of any wrongdoing."
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Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, said: "This is a damning reflection of a weak Prime Minister. Rishi Sunak appointed Gavin Williamson with full knowledge of serious allegations about his conduct and repeatedly expressed confidence in him.
“This is yet another example of Rishi Sunak’s poor judgement and weak leadership. It is clear that he is trapped by the grubby backroom deals he made to dodge a vote, and is incapable of putting country before party.