Rishi Sunak says he regrets Gavin Williamson appointment

Prime minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday said he regretted appointing Sir Gavin Williamson as a minister, adding that he was not aware of “specific” bullying allegations before inviting him to join the cabinet.

Williamson, who was last month made minister without portfolio, resigned on Tuesday after a flurry of claims regarding his conduct. He faces separate investigations by parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme and Downing Street following allegations that he told a senior civil servant to “slit your throat” and sent threatening text messages to former chief whip Wendy Morton.

Speaking at prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described Williamson as a “cartoon bully with a pet spider” who had been enabled by Sunak.

Starmer likened Williamson to a “sad middle manager who gets off on intimidating those beneath him” and compared Sunak to his “boss who is so weak, so worried the bullies will turn on him that he hides behind them”.

Asked by Starmer if he regretted giving Williamson a job, Sunak said: “I obviously regret appointing someone who has had to resign in these circumstances, but I think what the British people would like to know is when situations like this arise, that they will be dealt with properly.”

“For the record, I did not know about any of the specific concerns relating to his conduct as secretary of state or chief whip, which date back some years.”

Sunak said people in public life “should treat others with consideration and respect”, principles by which his government would abide.

He added: “Unequivocally, the behaviour complained of was unacceptable and it is absolutely right, it is absolutely right, that the right honourable gentleman has resigned.”

In his resignation letter on Tuesday, the MP for South Staffordshire said he was quitting the cabinet “so that I can comply fully with the complaints process that is under way and clear my name of any wrongdoing”.

Downing Street did not deny Sunak had been told of bullying allegations against Williamson by Sir Jake Berry, former Tory party chair, saying it “can’t comment on the . . . details of private discussions”.

Anne Milton, former Tory deputy chief whip, on Tuesday accused Williamson of using “leverage” over MPs, including details about their personal lives and financial situation, when he was chief whip.

Recounting an instance where a Tory MP in financial difficulty was helped by his party, Milton told Channel 4 News: “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’.”

Milton added: “I got the impression that he loved salacious gossip and would use it as leverage against MPs if the need arose . . . It’s an image he cultivates. I think he feels that he’s Francis Urquhart from House of Cards.”

Number 10 added that stripping Williamson of his knighthood would not be a decision for Sunak as “there is a formal process for that called the Forfeiture Committee. And that would be a decision for them.”

The resignation of Williamson, the first senior minister to leave Sunak’s government, raises further questions over the prime minister’s claim that his government would be defined by “integrity, professionalism and accountability” — an effort to contrast with former premier Boris Johnson’s chaotic administration.

Home secretary Suella Braverman has been criticised for her handling of official documents through a personal email address and decisions made around housing asylum seekers at a processing centre at Manston in Kent. Sunak has insisted he has full confidence in her.

Sunak has also yet to appoint a new independent ethics adviser, the adjudicator of the ministerial code. The role was last held by Lord Christopher Geidt, who quit in June after a dispute with Johnson.

Although the scandals have yet to harm Sunak’s personal poll ratings, one minister said “the honeymoon period is definitely over for Rishi”. The Conservative party remains significantly behind Labour in opinion surveys.

Some allies of Sunak believe former supporters of Johnson and Liz Truss are seeking to undermine him. “This [the briefings] is all people like Jake Berry who want to destabilise this government,” said another minister.