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Senior civil servants allege that Gavin Williamson told them to “slit their throats” during what he felt was an ongoing campaign of bullying during his time as secretary of defense.
A Defense Department official told The Guardian Williamson newspaper that he made unusual remarks in front of other officials at a meeting and told them to “jump out a window” on another occasion.
Whitehall’s aide, who worked closely with the Cabinet, claimed that Williamson regularly “deliberately insulted and threatened” them.
They informally reported their actions to the Ministry of Defense’s personnel director and took notes on the alleged incident at the same time, but decided not to lodge a formal complaint with the cabinet minister at that time. .
Williamson, who served as secretary of defense from November 2017 to May 2019, was dismissed after leaks from the National Security Council, but was said to “yell and rage.”
A senior civil servant who later left the government said the abuse was so severe that a senior military aide who worked in the department later apologized for not calling it out.
Williamson denied bullying public officials and said he had a good relationship with them. I’m here.
In a statement he said: No specific allegations have ever come to my attention. ”
The allegation comes down to No. 10 having “total trust” in the Cabinet Office minister, despite the emergence of bullying allegations and abusive text messages the Prime Minister sent to former Conservative Party leader Wendy Morton. I came after the city said
Speaking at the Cop27 summit in Egypt, Rishi Sunak said: Of course I’d like to see the results, but it’s clearly poorly worded and unacceptable. That is why we welcome the fact that Gavin Williamson has expressed his regret, and we are now awaiting the outcome of the investigation.”
The latest allegation, despite being aware of Morton’s complaints, calls for the government to reappoint Williamson, a close political ally who is seen to have played a key role in his leadership campaign. After making the decision, he poses even more questions to the prime minister about his political decisions.
A text message published over the weekend included an angry protest at not being invited to the Queen’s funeral and the line that “everything has a price”.
A spokesperson for the prime minister said on Monday that Sunak, who had taken a zero-tolerance approach to bullying, refused to dismiss Williamson and said he was making “significant contributions to the government”. claimed.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported Monday that when Williamson was chief of staff in 2016, lawmakers alleged he threatened to reveal details about her private life. The MP was now a minister, the paper said.
She told the paper that when she was campaigning on a politically sensitive issue, she called her office and raised something about her personal life. An unnamed ally of Williamson’s said this was not a threat and that he raised the issue in a “pastoral position”.
Business secretary Grant Shaps said the message should not have been sent, telling Sky News: Turns out it must have been sent in a moment of frustration. Generally speaking, it’s much better to write things that you won’t regret later. ”
Williamson was first dismissed as secretary of defense by Theresa May after allegedly leaking details of the National Security Council — something he has always denied. Then over the Covid 19 A-level debacle. , as Boris Johnson’s Secretary of Education.
Labor and the Liberal Democrats called on Sunak to sack Williamson. Labor Party Speaker Annelise Dodds said Monday evening: “These allegations are very serious and speak to a toxic culture at the top of the Conservative Party. but appointed him anyway.
“Rishi Sunak was too weak to face the votes of his own party, so he was given seats around the cabinet table. I’m seeing a vile arrangement to take precedence.”