Gavin Williamson: ‘I have had my chips but I’m still fighting’
He should have been having dinner with the US defence secretary. Instead, Gavin Williamson found himself in McDonald’s, with a Big Mac and fries.
Never one to give up an opportunity for publicity, the South Staffordshire MP promptly uploaded the image on social media, with the caption: “I’ve certainly had my chips this week #mcdonalds.”
For a man sacked as defence secretary accused of leaking state secrets, Mr Williamson continues to be defiant.
He is also keeping active on social media, following up his McDonald’s tweet with another thanking his South Staffordshire constituents for their support.
He said: “Huge thank you to all of you for all your support the past few days. Enormously grateful to have received so many kind and supportive messages – there have been far too many to respond individually to!”
And, as if to show Theresa May’s flaws through comparison, he yesterday uploaded a picture of Margaret Thatcher, with the message: “40 years ago today Margaret Thatcher entered Downing St as Prime Minister. She demonstrated to Britain & the world her passion, commitment & courage to stand up for her values, party & country. #IronLady.”
Mr Williamson strikes a frustrated figure. Happy that he is innocent, he wants to prove it to both his party and the nation.
It became apparent over the weekend that there will be no police investigation into the leak that led to his sacking.
But that does not mean the controversy surrounding the South Staffordshire MP has died down.
Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the head of the Metropolitain Police’s Specialist Operations, said he was satisfied that the leak “did not contain information that would breach the Official Secrets Act”.
Theresa May sacked Mr Williamson on Wednesday with a scathing letter, accusing him of releasing top-secret information on the potential involvement of Chinese firm Huawei in the development of the UK’s 5G network.
But Mr Williamson continues to deny the allegations and he is now calling for an independent inquiry to establish the facts.
The MP blamed Mrs May and Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill for his demise, adding: “With the Metropolitan Police not willing to do an criminal investigation it is clear a proper, full and impartial investigation needs to be conducted on this shabby and discredited witch hunt that has been so badly mishandled.”
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Mr Williamson also angrily denied allegations that he had repeatedly made suggestions that the PM’s Type-1 diabetes made her unfit for the office.
Sources said the decision came after a senior Conservative official overheard him making the comments about her health to other Tory MPs.
An ally of the Mrs May said: “It’s absolutely outrageous that he would attempt to use the Prime Minister’s health condition against her and to suggest it makes her too frail and ill to be the Prime Minister.”
But Mr Williamson hit out at the suggestions, instead claiming he was was the victim of a “shabby and discredited witch hunt”.
The MP said he instead believes he was a victim of a “game of politics”. He called for the Prime Minister to release details of the investigation “so everyone can make a judgment”.
“This whole affair hasn’t been about trying to find the real culprit who leaked what was said at that meeting,” Mr Williamson said.
“It has been a game of politics, it’s been about settling scores and trying to prove the Prime Minister’s political strength.”
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“The PM has spoken about compelling evidence. Well, I’d like to see it,” he added.
He also accused Mrs May and Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark of badly mishandling the inquiry and called for a probe into it.
Opposition parties had called on Mrs May to refer the matter to the police for a criminal investigation, after Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said Scotland Yard would not launch an inquiry unless the case was referred to them by the Government.
Leaked reports of a meeting of the National Security Council last month suggested that Theresa May had cleared Huawei to be involved in “non-core” elements of the 5G network, such as antennae.
According to reports, Mrs May overruled five ministers who expressed concern that the company’s involvement might provide a route for Chinese spying and undermine allies’ confidence in the security of UK communications.
The PM later said: “I did take a difficult decision. This was not about what was leaked, it was about where it was leaked from. It was the importance of the question of trust around that National Security Council table.”
Asked if she was convinced Mr Williamson was responsible for the leak of information about the NSC meeting, Mrs May said: “I took the decision that I did. That was the right decision.”
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Several Tory MPs aired their anger at the handling on the inquiry following Mr Williamson’s sacking, including Conservative backbencher Peter Bone who said he had been “found guilty in secret” in a “kangaroo court”, as he called for an independent inquiry into the probe.
“I think it more and more looks like there was a rushed judgment. If the police don’t think there’s an offence it does rather put a question mark on why the Secretary of State was fired,” he said. It smells this investigation, and it looks like for whatever reason they wanted to get rid of the defence secretary.”
And Liberal Democrat deputy leader Jo Swinson said: “It’s good to hear that there was no breach of the OSA, but that doesn’t change the facts. An official investigation found that there was compelling evidence that Gavin Williamson leaked details from the NSC. Given that, why does Theresa May think it appropriate that Gavin Williamson maintains the Tory party whip?”
