British cabinet minister Gavin Williamson resigned from his role on Tuesday after recent allegations of bullying, saying the allegations against him had “become a distraction from the good work this government is doing”.   

  “As you know, there is an ongoing complaints process regarding text messages I sent to a colleague,” Williamson said in his resignation letter, which was addressed to Premier Rishi Sunak.   

  “I comply with this process and have apologized to the recipient for these messages.  Since then, there have been other allegations about my past conduct.  I deny the characterization of these allegations but recognize that they are a distraction from the good work this government is doing for the British people,” he added in the letter.   

  “I have therefore decided to retire from government so that I can fully comply with the ongoing whistleblowing process and clear my name of any wrongdoing,” Williamson said.   

  Sunak accepted his resignation “with great regret,” according to the PA news agency.  “I would like to thank you for your personal support and loyalty,” Sunak said.   

  Williamson’s current term in government lasted only 14 days.  Considered a close ally of Sunak, Williamson had faced growing calls for him to step down following allegations of bullying.   

  Former deputy chief whip Anne Milton described Williamson’s behavior five years ago, when he was chief whip, as “threatening” and “intimidating”, in an interview with Channel 4 news published on Tuesday.   

  Milton, who worked alongside Williamson in the office of the whip – which enforces party discipline – also described his behavior as “immoral and unethical”.   

  “My impression is that he liked gossip and would use it as leverage against MPs if he had to,” Milton told the broadcaster.   

  Williamson has yet to publicly respond to Milton’s claims.  CNN has reached out to the lawmaker for comment.   

  The Conservative MP was previously sacked as defense secretary in 2019 by then-prime minister Theresa May over the leak of a key decision related to Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.   

  May’s decision followed an investigation into how the Daily Telegraph newspaper discovered that the UK government was preparing to give Huawei access to parts of the country’s 5G mobile network.  Williamson at the time “vehemently” denied being the source of the leak, in a letter posted on his Twitter account.   

  Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson later appointed him Secretary of State for Education, an ill-fated appointment that saw Williamson preside over a controversial exam scoring algorithm during the Covid-19 pandemic as tests could not be carried out.  The grading system was scrapped after widespread outrage from parents, students and teachers.   

  Williamson also made waves as he appeared to confuse two major black British sports stars, telling an interviewer he had spoken to Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford – who campaigned for free school meals for children in need during of the pandemic – when in fact he had met rugby player Maro Itoje.   

  Johnson removed him from the role in 2021 during a cabinet reshuffle.   

  Williamson is also a former chief whip and before his resignation on Tuesday, held the position of Minister without Portfolio in Sunak’s government.