Leadsom didn’t want Minister’s lewd joke to leak (but DID want his job)
ANDREA Leadsom was last night at the centre of a growing Tory civil war over Sir Michael Fallon’s shock resignation, after critics claimed she had been ‘angling’ to take over his job as Defence Secretary.
Mrs Leadsom, the Leader of the Commons, told No 10 on Tuesday that Sir Michael had made a string of inappropriate remarks when they were both members of the Treasury select committee, including a crude joke about where she could ‘warm her hands’.
Sir Michael quit on Wednesday night, after admitting his behaviour had ‘fallen below the high standards’ of his position, but ‘fundamentally denies’ making the remark.
Now Mrs Leadsom’s critics in the party claim she secretly harboured ambitions to move to the Ministry of Defence, implying that it was her motivation for informing Downing Street.
But allies of Mrs Leadsom have hit back by saying that when she met Mrs May’s aides, she said she did not want her information to be ‘taken any further’ – and certainly not leaked.
Mrs May triggered a furious backlash in her party by handing Sir Michael’s job to Chief Whip Gavin Williamson – an inexperienced member of Mrs May’s small inner circle.
MPs accused Mr Williamson of ‘knifing’ Sir Michael to land the job for himself. Speculation has swirled about the reasons for Sir Michael’s departure: yesterday it was claimed that No10 had been presented with details of an alleged sexual assault by him in the hours before he resigned.
Tory MP Anna Soubry said the Prime Minister’s team was confronted by a ‘person with great courage’ who set out allegations against Sir Michael on Wednesday.
Sir Michael said the claim was not true and libellous. The Mail on Sunday has previously revealed that Sir Michael had allegedly called journalist Bryony Gordon a slut in a bar. Sources close to him confirmed he had been drinking and had apologised after using a wrong term, but denied he called her a slut.