Williamson replaces Fallon as UK defence secretary
LONDON: The sexual harassment scandal sweeping the United Kingdom Parliament brought fresh allegations against lawmakers on Thursday, after the appointment of a new defence minister following the resignation of Michael Fallon.
Prime Minister Theresa May named Gavin Williamson defence secretary on Thursday after his predecessor became the first casualty of a deepening scandal in British politics.
Williamson, 41, is a trusted ally of May, whose former job as chief whip involved enforcing discipline for May’s Conservative Party in Parliament.
He was only elected to Parliament in 2010 and is best known for having a pet tarantula, Cronus, that he keeps in a glass-sided tank on his desk.
The new defence minister said he was “honoured and excited” by the promotion, adding that he was “determined to ensure that the armed forces receive the recognition they deserve”.
But some ques- tioned Williamson’s expertise for the job, considered one of the biggest and most challenging in the British government.
According to “TheyWorkForYou”, an online record of parliamentary activity, Williamson has asked only seven questions on defence since 2010.
May’s Downing Street office responded that Williamson “was an excellent and hardworking chief whip and the prime minister thinks he will make an excellent defence secretary”.`
Britain, a major member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation military alliance, spends two per cent of its gross domestic product on defence, but the armed forces are facing constant pressure to cut costs.
Fallon announced his resignation on Wednesday after earlier in the week apologising for touching a journalist’s knee in 2002, but reports suggested there were other allegations that had not been made public at the time of his resignation.
“I accept that in the past I have fallen below the high standards that we require of the armed forces that I have the honour to represent,” Fallon said.
According to The Sun newspaper, Fallon’s resignation was prompted by complaints against him by the House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom.
She is said to have accused Fallon of making derogatory comments of a sexual nature to her and about other members of parliament between 2010 and 2012, the tabloid reported on its Friday front page.
The main opposition Labour Party has also been hit by sexual assault allegations, the latest of which saw member of parliament Kelvin Hopkins suspended from the party on Thursday. AFP