British minister Gavin Williamson has resigned after allegations of bullying against him, raising questions about Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s judgment just weeks after taking office. Sunak became Britain’s third prime minister in two months in October, pledging to restore integrity and professionalism at the heart of government after months of turmoil under his predecessors Liz Truss and Boris Johnson. But in his first two weeks in office, Sunak has come under pressure over his choice of ministers, first reappointing Suella Braverman as home secretary days after she was forced to resign over a breach of ministerial rules, and now with Williamson. Williamson, who has been accused of bullying colleagues in the past, said on Tuesday that he decided to leave the government to allow him to “fully comply” with the investigation into his conduct. Sunak, who has tried to build a lasting government by appointing ministers from all wings of the embattled Conservative party, said he had accepted Williamson’s resignation “with great regret” and was grateful for his personal support and loyalty. Williamson, 46, has come under increasing pressure since the emergence of a series of defamatory text messages he allegedly sent to Conservative party colleague and former leader Wendy Morton. The messages accused Morton of seeking to “punish” MPs out of favor with then Prime Minister Truss by barring them from Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, warning: “There is a price for everything.” On Monday, The Guardian newspaper reported that Williamson had threatened a senior government official and told them to “cut your throat”. Williamson was fired as defense secretary in 2019 over a national security leak and again last year when parents criticized his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and schools during his tenure as education secretary. The opposition Labor Party said Williamson’s resignation was “a damning reflection of a weak prime minister”. “This is yet another example of Rishi Sunak’s poor judgment and weak leadership,” Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said in a statement. Downing Street and the Conservative Party have launched investigations into the allegations.
