London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 15, 2025

Gavin Williamson text messages unacceptable, PM says

Gavin Williamson text messages unacceptable, PM says

The prime minister believes expletive-laden text messages sent by Sir Gavin Williamson to a colleague are "unacceptable", No 10 has said.

A series of messages sent by Sir Gavin to ex-chief whip Wendy Morton were published on Sunday.

Downing Street confirmed the prime minister knew about a complaint against Sir Gavin before appointing him to cabinet, but had not seen the messages.

The Liberal Democrats have called for Mr Williamson to be sacked.

The Sunday Times published texts said to have been sent by Sir Gavin to Ms Morton in which he accused her of excluding some MPs from the Queen's funeral.

Ms Morton lodged a complaint against Sir Gavin, which is currently being investigated by Tory HQ.

Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden, a key ally of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, said Sir Gavin sent texts to Ms Morton "in the heat of the moment at a very difficult time".

Mr Dowden told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg Sir Gavin was "frustrated" at the then government, but accepts that he "shouldn't have sent them and he regrets it".

It was "no secret" that Sir Gavin and other backbench MPs did not enjoy "a good relationship" with Ms Morton.

But he added the messages were "not acceptable" and "should not have been sent".

Former Conservative party chairman Sir Jake Berry said he had told the prime minister of Ms Morton's complaint.

Rossendale and Darwen MP Sir Jake says he told Mr Sunak about the complaint accusing Sir Gavin of "bullying and intimidation" on 24 October.

Mr Sunak succeeded Liz Truss as prime minister on 25 October and appointed Sir Gavin a minister of state at the Cabinet Office.

Ms Morton is yet to hear how her complaint will be acted upon


Sir Gavin is reported to have sent her the texts in the run-up to the Queen's funeral in September.

In them, he appears to have complained that MPs who were not "favoured" by Ms Truss were being excluded from the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

He accused Ms Morton of "rigging" the ticket allocation to punish people - including himself - who were not supportive enough of the then prime minister.

Sir Gavin reportedly warned Ms Morton "not to push him about" and that "there is a price for everything".

Sir Gavin is quoted in the Sunday Times as saying: "I of course regret getting frustrated about the way colleagues and I felt we were being treated.

"I am happy to speak with Wendy and I hope to work positively with her in the future as I have in the past."

Downing Street, which is handling the complaint, said it would not comment while the formal process was under way.

A Conservative Party spokesman said the party had "a robust complaints process" and complainants could come forward in confidence.

Both Ms Morton and Sir Jake lost their jobs in the reshuffle when Mr Sunak came to power, while Sir Gavin - a former chief whip and a key member of Mr Sunak's leadership campaign - returned to government.

Sir Gavin was defence secretary in Theresa May's government but was sacked in 2019 over claims - denied by him - that he had leaked details of a national security council meeting. He then became education secretary in Boris Johnson's cabinet but was replaced after two years.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said Mr Sunak's decision to bring Sir Gavin back into government saw him put "party management before the country" and his judgement was "in question".

She said: "Rishi Sunak's pledge to restore integrity, professionalism and accountability has been exposed as nothing more than hollow words."

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said: "These shocking revelations raise yet more serious questions about Rishi Sunak's judgement...

"If the prime minister was serious about restoring integrity, he would sack Gavin Williamson."


Questioning judgement


Mr Sunak is also facing questions over his decision to reappoint Suella Braverman as home secretary after she admitted to repeatedly using private email to conduct government business.

Ms Braverman was reappointed to her role six days after she was forced to resigned over two breaches of the ministerial code.

Then prime minister Liz Truss asked Ms Braverman to step down after discovering she had sent confidential material from her private email address to Conservative MP Sir John Hayes, a long-time ally.

She has since admitted using her personal email for official business six times so she could read the documents while taking work video calls.

In a letter explaining her actions, Ms Braverman insisted there was no top secret or market-sensitive information.

Labour's shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, also said her party "will use every parliamentary mechanism open to force government to come clean over her reappointment, to get answers and to require detailed documents to be released to the Intelligence and Security Committee".


Watch: PM not aware of 'specific messages' from minister - Dowden


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
×