Tories turn on Theresa
Cabinet ministers join the backlash as PM suffers new hammer blow to her authority
PM’s choice for the new Defence Secretary raises eyebrows — and hackles — of furious Tory MPs.
FURIOUS Tories turned on Theresa May yesterday after the PM promoted obscure party whip Gavin Williamson to the powerful job of Defence Secretary.
One Cabinet minister declared anonymously that they were “appalled” that May was so weak “she has let Williamson appoint himself ”.
The backlash as the little-known Staffordshire South MP moved into the job vacated by Michael Fallon was unprecedented and vicious.
One Tor y MP branded Williamson a “self-serving c***” while another said the appointment had gone down “like a cup of cold sick”.
Another described the promotion as May’s “biggest and probably last mistake”.
Wi l l iamson, who has no ministerial experience and has only been in Parliament since 2010, is best known for keeping a pet tarantula spider called Cronus in his office – to intimidate MPs summoned there.
As Chief Whip, he won May’s confidence while becoming highly unpopular with colleagues.
His post meant he had access to all the locked secrets of MPs’ indiscretions and some insiders suggested he had forced out Fal lon before snatching his job.
Tory MPs’ sense of outrage was all the more acute after it emerged Williamson’s close ally and his former deputy, Stirling-born Julian Smith, was to take over as Chief Whip.
One minister complained: “He’s a real slimeball with his own leadership team in place.”
Smith tweeted a picture of his predecessor’s pet tarantula yesterday, writing: “Just found this
on my desk – it’s looking quite Defence-ive…@GavinWilliamson.”
Meanwhile, despised former welfare minister Esther McVey has made a return to the Government by taking Smith’s place as Deputy Chief Whip.
The Tory reaction to the panicked reshuffle has dealt a hammer blow to May’s waning authority, already ebbing away amid her party’s Brexit civil war and after her botched general election gamble.
Veteran minister Fallon quit amid the growing sex pest scandal at Westminster.
He resigned after May refused to back him following his confession that he repeatedly placed his hand on the knee of journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer at a dinner in 2002.
Hartley-Brewer insisted that the matter was trivial but it is understood Fallon feared that more such allegations would emerge.
And May is bracing herself for more scandal as fresh claims emerge from West-Westm i n s tt e r s t af f and journalistsalists about MPs’ behaviour.our.
Downingwning Street insistednsisted last nightght that Williamson did not take part in talks about the appointment.
And he claimed that he had been stunned to be made Defence Secretary.
He said: “Few people can have such a great honour as to be responsible for overseeing the armed services of this great country.
“I am under no illusions that this is a massive challenge and a huge responsibility.”
Tory backbencher and retired Army colonel Bob Stewart said Williamson, 41, “won’t know much about defence”. Troops and top brass would “reserve judgement”, said the formformer of ficer, who commanded UN forces in BoBosnia and sat on the Commons defence committee.com May’s spokesman ininsisted he was given the job becausebecaus he was “an excellent, hard-working Chief Whip and the Prime Minister thinks he will make an excellent Defence Secretary.”
Downing Street were unable to point to any experience Williamson had of defence, and refusedd to say if the PM hadad discussed the appointment with military chiefs.
Tor y MP Saa rah Wol laston tweeted:ted: “There are times when offered a job thatat it would be better to advise that another would be more experienced and suited to the role.” She added: “I think it would have be worth reflecting whether there were others that were more experienced and suitable.” Married father-of-two Williamson has indicated he uses Cronus – named after a powerhungry Greek god who castrated and killed his father, then ate his own children – to intimidate MPs. He added the spider is a “perfect example of an incredibly clean, ruthless kil ler ... absolutely fascinating to rearrear”. .