Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Telegraph
The Telegraph
Politics
Berny Torre

Gavin Williamson's text messages 'unacceptable', says Rishi Sunak

Minister of State at the Cabinet Office Sir Gavin Williamson arrives in Westminster - George Cracknell Wright/LNP
Minister of State at the Cabinet Office Sir Gavin Williamson arrives in Westminster - George Cracknell Wright/LNP

Rishi Sunak has called Sir Gavin Williamson's "bullying" messages to a colleague "not acceptable" amid questions over the Cabinet minister's future.

The Prime Minister said he stood by his decision to rehire Sir Gavin as Minister Without Portfolio - his third Cabinet role - despite expletive-laden texts he sent to former chief whip Wendy Morton.

Mr Sunak told the Sun: "There's a process happening. It's right to let that conclude. It's not acceptable.

"I stand by all the decisions I have made. I did know there was a disagreement from these two individuals but the substance of the text messages I didn't see until last night."

Sir Gavin faces an investigation into his behaviour towards Wendy Morton, the former chief whip, after messaging her expressing his anger at not having been invited to the Queen's funeral.

A transcript of the messages revealed Sir Gavin had told Liz Truss's chief whip "you f--- us all over" during a row over the guest list for the royal funeral, adding: "There is a price for every thing." 

Sir Gavin not 'right' to send angry texts says Shapps

Business Secretary Grant Shapps today said Sir Gavin  was not "right" to send a series of angry texts to a colleague.

He told Sky News: "I don't think it was the right thing to do, to send messages like that. I see they must have been sent in a moment of frustration.

"I think, generally, it is the case that it's much better to write things which you would not live to regret later.

"And especially with colleagues, writing things which are polite, even if you have a point of view to express, I think is not unreasonable.

"So, I don't think he was right to send them. The Prime Minister said the same. I know that the party is going through a process looking at them at the moment."

Gavin Williamson arriving at the Cabinet Office on Monday - Eddie Mulholland/The Telegraph
Gavin Williamson arriving at the Cabinet Office on Monday - Eddie Mulholland/The Telegraph

Sir Gavin threatened an MP over her personal life in 2016

It came as Sir Gavin this morning faced new claims that he had made a tacit threat to a Tory MP over her personal life in 2016.

A minister has told the Times that Sir Gavin when he was chief whip in 2016 called her into his office and raised details about her private life which she interpreted as a "tacit threat" to silence her while she was on the back benches.

The unnamed Tory MP has reportedly told the Conservative Party at the weekend that she was willing to discuss the matter, which happened at a time she was campaigning on an issue that was causing the government difficulty.

The Daily Telegraph today disclosed that the Prime Minister was warned about the complaint by Sir Jake Berry, then Tory party chairman.

Allies of Williamson have denied that he had been trying to silence the MP.

Yesterday, it was claimed that Mr Sunak had not seen the series of "threatening" messages Sir Gavin sent to Ms Morton before appointing him to the Cabinet, and that the first he saw of them was over the weekend when they were published by The Sunday Times.

The Daily Telegraph has however revealed that Mr Sunak was not only told about the formal complaint by the then party chair Sir Jake the day before the reshuffle, but was also urged to look into it fully before appointing Sir Gavin to his Cabinet.

"The PM was told about it and advised that he should not appoint Williamson without checking the complaint," a source familiar with the discussion said.

"The formal complaint came in later that day. Williamson was appointed the following day. He may not have seen [the messages] but the fact that he chose not to is on him."

The source said that the Prime Minister's chief of staff was also told about the complaint the day before the reshuffle and was urged to look into it before giving Sir Gavin a job in the Cabinet.

Sunak 'did not know anything' about the content of the messages

Mr Sunak ultimately decided to appoint Sir Gavin, one of his close allies who helped rally MPs during his leadership campaign, as a Minister of State without Portfolio.

Ms Morton is understood to have submitted a formal complaint to Conservative campaign headquarters (CCHQ) on October 24, the day before the Cabinet reshuffle. Two days later she submitted supporting evidence - the series of text messages from Sir Gavin - at their request. She later flagged the complaint with the Cabinet Office's propriety and ethics team (PET).

A source close to Mr Sunak said: "The PM was made aware of a disagreement between Gavin and the former chief whip, but did not know anything about the content of text messages. The first he knew of them was when they were revealed via the media."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.