Question time reveals why Gavin is May’s favourite

It is of course unfair to judge someone by their looks. But rules do have exceptions, and the exception to this one is Gavin Williamson. Back in March, when Mr Williamson told Russia that it should “go away and shut up”, he sounded ridiculous. Not only because it was a ridiculous thing to say. But because of the way he looks.

To sound intimidating, you need to look intimidating, and Mr Williamson, most assuredly, does not. He looks as if he’s about to have sand kicked in his face in a Charles Atlas ad. As well as being as skinny as a shoelace, he’s unnervingly boyish in appearance and in manner. He seems perpetually on the brink of emitting a high-pitched involuntary giggle. His Wikipedia entry insists that he’s 41 years old. I demand to see a birth certificate.

None of this mattered in Mr Williamson’s previous career, as a fireplace salesman in Scarborough. Today, however, he is Secretary of State for Defence. Traditionally, this is a role that requires an air of gravitas. Mr Williamson, sadly, does not have an air of gravitas. Instead, he has the air of a student on work experience haring off eagerly to fetch a round of teas, only to trip over a phone charger and spill them down the boss’s lap.

It would be wrong, however, to assume that Mr Williamson is entirely without political talent. Yesterday, during an interrogation by the defence select committee, he demonstrated full mastery of a minister’s most crucial skill: question-dodging.

Again and again, an increasingly irritated Mark Francois (Con, Rayleigh & Wickford) asked him why he wanted the Prime Minister to send more troops to Afghanistan – and each time Mr Williamson fobbed him off with a boilerplate non-answer about “keeping everything under review”. Later, Mr Francois attempted to ask him about providing combat immunity to protect British troops from historical allegations. Here’s a summary of their exchanges: Francois: “You’re going to see more and more colleagues cutting up rough unless the Government brings forward proposals to do something about this.” Williamson: “To try and find a solution is something we should all be committed to.”

Francois: “Can you reassure the committee that the Ministry of Defence is actively trying to come up with a solution?”

Williamson: “We are always looking to try and come up with solutions.” Francois: “So the MOD is actively working on this?”

Williamson: “What we want to do is try and find a solution going forward.” Francois: “Are you telling me the MOD is actively working on a solution?” Williamson: “What we’ve got is, we’ve got a consultation that is live and ongoing…”

In the six months since his unexpected appointment, I’d been wondering why Mr Williamson was such a favourite of Theresa May’s. Now, at last, I think I’m beginning to get it.