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UK PM Rishi Sunak’s cabinet picks under scrutiny after ally’s bullying claim
Wendy Morton, who served as chief enforcer in former premier Liz Truss’s short-lived government, submitted a complaint over a series of expletive-filled text messages Gavin Williamson sent her following Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces mounting unrest in his ruling Conservative Party as questions swirl about his judgment after a key ally was accused of bullying a colleague.
Wendy Morton, who served as chief enforcer in former premier Liz Truss’s short-lived government, submitted a complaint over a series of expletive-filled text messages Gavin Williamson sent her following Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September. Williamson, whom Sunak appointed to his Cabinet last month but was a backbench MP at the time, told Morton that there was a “price for everything,” after he accused her of keeping him off the guest list for the Queen’s funeral.
In another message, released by the Sunday Times, Williamson told Morton her conduct was “disgusting” and she chose to “f*** us all over.”
Though the messages hark back to the bitter internal rows between Tory MPs during Truss’s premiership, the leak of the exchange shows the party’s united front remains fragile.
The Labour Party leapt on the government’s latest apparent breakdown in discipline, with deputy leader Angela Rayner saying Sunak is putting the interests of his party ahead of that of the country.
Security Breaches
Morton made the formal complaint to the Tory party shortly before Sunak won the leadership race and appointed Williamson. It casts fresh doubt over Sunak’s choices for senior government positions just weeks into his premiership -- he was made to defend his appointment of Home Secretary Suella Braverman six days after she was fired by Truss for a security breach.
Since then, Braverman’s been engulfed by reports that her choices led to thousands of people being detained illegally at a migration center. Williamson himself was sacked by Theresa May as defence secretary in 2019 after accusations that he had leaked confidential information.
Oliver Dowden, the head of Sunak’s cabinet office, confirmed on Sky News that Sunak was aware of a difficult relationship between Williamson and Morton, though hadn’t seen details of the text messages when he appointed him. The messages aren’t acceptable, and Sunak continues to have confidence in him as a member of his cabinet, Dowden said.
Williamson told the Sunday Times that he regrets getting frustrated and hopes “to work positively” with Morton in the future.
Read More: Sunak Still Has Confidence in Williamson After Expletive Rant
Even so, just hours after the newspaper published the messages, MPs who served under Truss but were subsequently sacked by Sunak made pointed tweets about their experiences of bullying. Though they didn’t specify what they were referring to, ex-Justice Secretary Brandon Lewis and former whip Mark Jenkinson, urged victims of bullying to get support as screenshots of Williamson and Morton’s exchange circulated on social media.
Sunak is keeping his distance from the drama ensuing at home, for now. He decided last minute to attend the United Nations’ COP27 climate summit in Egypt, where he’s meeting French President Emmanuel Macron, among others. He initially planned to skip the meeting, but changed his mind after critics questioned his commitment to fighting climate change.
Sunak’s overseas debut means he’d have to deal from afar with the consequences of leaving behind a party still riven by division. It’s a dilemma that could ultimately force him to make a difficult decision over what to do with Williamson, a staunch ally who helped him in his bid for leader.
