Two sources claimed the prime minister had been alerted to Williamson’s “credible and documented misconduct” when he was defense secretary when he was making the cabinet. One of them said Sunak was given a “general description” of the alleged bullying incident at the Defense Department, but gave Williamson a job regardless. However, Downing Street strongly rejected claims that Mr Sunack and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case were aware of the bullying allegations before they were reported by the Guardian. At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sunak admitted he regretted bringing Williamson back into cabinet as he faced questions about his judgement, but insisted he was not aware of “any of the specific concerns” related to Williamson’s time in previous roles. He told MPs: “Obviously I regret appointing someone who had to stand down 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. “That’s why it’s absolutely right that he resigned and that’s why it’s absolutely right that there should be an inquiry to properly look at these matters.” Williamson resigned from the cabinet on Tuesday after the Guardian revealed allegations that, while defense secretary, he told a former senior civil servant to “cut your throat”. Williamson said the allegations had become a “distraction” for the government and he wanted to clear his name. It followed claims he sent explosive messages to former Conservative leader Wendy Morton complaining about not being invited to the Queen’s funeral. Former deputy leader Anne Milton claimed Williamson used “unethical and unethical” methods while in charge of party discipline as chief whip. He told Channel 4: “I think he feels like he’s Francis Urquhart from House of Cards.” Another former colleague told the Guardian they remember Williamson being “spectacularly rude” to civil servants who presented him. He is now the subject of three separate investigations into his conduct – two by the independent parliamentary whistle-blowing service and one internal Conservative party investigation. Keir Starmer accused Sunak of not being able to stand “a cartoon bully with a pet spider” as he blasted him for appointing Williamson – who as Theresa May’s chief whip kept a tarantula on his desk as part of a calculated image of menace – and then expressing “great regret” at his departure. “Everybody in the country knows someone like him [Williamson], a sad middle manager bullying those below him,” the Labor leader said at PMQs. “But everyone in the country also knows someone like the prime minister, the boss who is so weak, so worried that the bullies will turn on him, who is hiding behind them.” PMQs: Williamson ‘cartoon bully with pet spider’, says Starmer – video highlights Williamson’s resignation raised fresh doubts among some Conservative MPs about Sunak’s political judgment after he faced questions over the reappointment of Suella Braverman as home secretary after she was forced out for breaching the ministerial code. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The Guardian was told that Case and his team informally briefed Sunak, as is customary, about any risks associated with ministerial appointments. A well-placed Whitehall insider claimed that Case gave the prime minister a “broad, albeit precise description” of the MoD incident. Another source said the Prime Minister was told of Williamson’s reputation for “gathering and using random” and “violent and vulgar language” when speaking to aides and MPs, as well as being “irresponsible” with secure information. A government spokesman said: “All allegations made in this story are categorically untrue.” Allies of Sunak suggested that the Cabinet Office had no record of even the generalities of the MoD incident. However, the Guardian has been told that Stephen Lovegrove, then permanent secretary at the Ministry of Defence, was aware of the specific allegation that Williamson had bullied a senior civil servant and is believed to have passed it on to the Cabinet Office. A senior Tory source confirmed that Lovegrove informed both the political side of the No 10 operation and then Mark Sedwill, Case’s predecessor as cabinet secretary, that there had been an informal complaint about Williamson – but told them that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wanted to deal with it internally. . “We were made aware of problems with how Gavin treated civil servants in the department. It was the responsibility of the cabinet secretary to brief the propriety and ethics team,” they said. Williamson is a divisive figure in Westminster, where many Tory MPs view him with suspicion because of his reputation as an unusual conspirator. Downing Street said the MP, who has previously been sacked as defense secretary and education secretary, tendered his resignation to Sunak in a face-to-face meeting on Tuesday night.
