May picks chief whip for defence role following exit of Fallon over harassment claims, a choice MPs attack as ‘ludicrous’

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Theresa May has promoted Gavin Williamson, her chief whip, to the job of defence secretary to fill the role vacated after Sir Michael Fallon resigned on Wednesday over allegations of sexual harassment.

But some Conservative MPs raised concerns his appointment, arguing that 41 year old MP for South Staffordshire had been promoted too quickly and lacked the experience for the high profile post.

Fallon had stepped down on Wednesday night, admitting that his conduct towards women in the past had fallen short of the standards expected of the armed forces, of which he was in charge.

Profile Who is Gavin Williamson? Show Hide Before Westminster Born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, he had a comprehensive education before going on to gain a degree in social science at the University of Bradford. Williamson then worked for a while in the pottery industry and for an architectural design firm before being elected MP for South Staffordshire in 2010 at the age of 33. A rapid rise Just a few years after his election, Williamson became David Cameron’s parliamentary aide, acting as his eyes and ears among MPs. But when Cameron stepped down, Williamson quickly threw his lot in with Theresa May as the most effective stop-Boris candidate and was adopted as her campaign manager. Having impressed with his organisational skills, he was elevated to chief whip, despite not having previously served as a minister. Appointed defence secretary After becoming pivotal in the deal with the Democratic Unionist party (DUP), Williamson earned May's respect for managing difficult parliamentary votes with the slimmest of DUP-backed majorities. His move into the cabinet after Sir Michael Fallon resigned over allegations of sexual harassment appeared to position him as a potential Conservative leader, but the backlash among MPs was significant. Spider man In Westminster he kept a tarantula called Cronus in a glass box on his desk, seemingly to intimidate MPs who had stepped out of line. The creature is named after the Greek god who came to power by castrating his own father before eating his own children to ensure they would not oust him. Gaffes in office Known for his colourful Instagram posts, Williamson was involved in a series of gaffes as defence secretary. As well as clashing with the prime minister over the publication of the government’s defence review, he angered the Chinese enough for them to cancel a trade trip by chancellor Philip Hammond, and was called 'the minister for war' by a Russian minister after his comments about the Skripal poisoning.



Good Morning Britain presenter Richard Madeley once cut off a live interview with him after he repeatedly refused to answer a question. It was all enough to earn him the nickname 'Private Pike' in Whitehall, in reference to the hapless youth in the sitcom Dad’s Army

Downfall Williamson was sacked as defence secretary by Theresa May after she "lost confidence in his ability to serve in the role of defence secretary and as a member of her cabinet". The move followed an investigation into who leaked sensitive National Security Council discussions about the Chinese company Huawei's involvement in the UK's 5G network infrastructure. Williamson has denied being the source of the leak, saying he was the victim of a 'kangaroo court'.

Julian Smith, the MP for Skipton and Ripon, who previously served as Williamson’s deputy, has been appointed to replace him as chief whip.

The new deputy chief whip will be Esther McVey, who won George Osborne’s former seat of Tatton in June. She was a Conservative junior minister in the coalition government of 2010-15, before losing her Wirral West seat.

Williamson was closely involved in negotiating the confidence and supply deal with the Democratic Unionist party that secured the parliamentary support May needed to govern in the aftermath of June’s general election.

It was Williamson and Gavin Barwell, May’s chief of staff at No 10, collectively known as “the chiefs”, who were called in by the prime minister last week as she discussed how to handle the growing sexual harassment scandal.

Many Conservative MPs were surprised by Williamson’s rapid promotion, at a time when party discipline is key to the smooth operation of the government. One senior backbencher described it as: “Unbelievable. Ludicrous. Astonishing.”

Some Conservative MPs even suggest May might have made an agreement with Williamson that she will anoint him as her preferred successor once the Brexit talks are completed.



“I thought the secret of naked ambition was not to make it so obvious,” said one former minister.

Sarah Wollaston, the MP for Totnes, tweeted:

Sarah Wollaston (@sarahwollaston) There are times when offered a job that it would be better to advise that another would be more experienced & suited to the role

The prime minister’s spokesman insisted: “Gavin Williamson was an excellent and hard-working chief whip and the PM is certain he will make an excellent defence secretary.”

Asked about what qualities would make Williamson a suitable candidate to run Britain’s armed services, he said: “The PM chooses who is the defence secretary.”

Chief whips are usually involved in reshuffles – but asked whether Williamson had helped to take the decision about how to replace Fallon, May’s spokesman said: “As a matter of fact the answer is no: the prime minister appoints the government.”

Some MPs were irked at Williamson’s promotion because they believe the whips’ office has been complicit in “covering up” bad behaviour by MPs. But the spokesman insisted Williamson had investigated all claims of sexual misconduct raised with the whips’ office, saying: “The prime minister is confident in the operation of the whips’ office during her premiership.”



Backbench MPs are wondering whether Fallon’s departure will be the last as fresh allegations emerge from Westminster staff and journalists, emboldened by the Harvey Weinstein claims to share their experiences of powerful men’s behaviour.

Damian Green, May’s close ally and first secretary of state, has been accused of making unwanted sexual advances to Kate Maltby, an academic and journalist 30 years his junior. He vehemently denies the claims.