Sunak admits regret over Williamson role

PM mocked in Commons for appointing ‘cartoon bully’ amid calls to explain what he knew of the claims

‘Everyone in the country knows someone like Sir Gavin. A sad middle manager who gets off on belittling those beneath him’

‘I think what the British people would like to know is that when situations like this arise they will be dealt with properly’

RISHI SUNAK has said that he regretted Sir Gavin Williamson’s appointment as fresh questions emerged about exactly what the Prime Minister knew of bullying claims before handing him a Cabinet role.

In a public grilling in the House of Commons yesterday, Mr Sunak adopted a serious tone saying Sir Gavin’s conduct was “unacceptable”. He said he supported Sir Gavin’s decision to “step back” from his Cabinet role while he is the subject of an investigation, saying that it was “absolutely right” for him to have resigned.

The former minister without portfolio quit Government on Tuesday night after a series of accusations about his alleged threatening behaviour towards MPS and a civil servant, including that he told an aide to “slit your throat”.

But it remained unclear to what extent the Prime Minister was aware of the specific allegations about Sir Gavin’s behaviour ahead of his appointment.

Mr Sunak told the Commons: “For the record, I did not know about any of the specific concerns relating to his conduct as secretary of state or chief whip, which date back some years.”

Downing Street has acknowledged that Sir Jake Berry, the then Conservative Party chairman, had informed the Prime Minister of a “disagreement” between Sir Gavin and the former chief whip, Wendy Morton, on the day before the reshuffle.

However, the Prime Minister’s press secretary declined to confirm if Mr Sunak knew of the nature of the bullying claim, saying: “I can’t comment on the ... details of private discussions. But he was made aware of the disagreement.”

Meanwhile, Mr Sunak was ruthlessly mocked by Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, as he accused him of being “too weak” to stand up to Sir Gavin, who he branded a “cartoon bully with a pet spider”.

He said everyone in the country knows someone like Sir Gavin, a “sad middle manager getting off on intimidating those beneath him”.

During Prime Minister’s Questions at Westminster yesterday the Opposition leader said Sir Gavin’s reputation as a “pathetic bully” was “precisely why the Prime Minister gave him a job”.

Asked by Sir Keir whether he regretted the decision to hand Sir Gavin a job at his top table, Mr Sunak said: “I obviously regret appointing someone who has had to resign in the circumstances.

“But I think what the British people would like to know is that when situations like this arise, they will be dealt with properly.”

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats attempted to trigger the formal process of stripping Sir Gavin of his knighthood last night by referring him to the Forfeiture Committee, which has the power to withdraw honours in specific circumstances.

It comes as Boris Johnson’s former policy chief hit out at the “really corrosive” briefing culture that now exists in Westminster. Munira Mirza told The New

Statesman the “constant gossiping” among MPS and advisers about each other was “very damaging”.

Ms Mirza headed up the No 10 policy unit under Mr Johnson until she quit in February over remarks he made about Sir Keir Starmer. She had said that the ex-prime minister’s claim that the Labour leader failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile when he was director of public prosecutions was “scurrilous”.