Wendy Morton, who served as a 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 a 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.
The Labour Party leaped 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 defense secretary in 2019 after accusations that he had leaked confidential information.
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