Gavin Williamson accused of telling top civil servant to slit throat

Sir Gavin Williamson is facing claims he told a senior civil servant to “slit your throat” while he was defence secretary.

The civil servant told The Guardian that Williamson made the remarks in front of other officials, and that on a separate occasion told them to “jump out of the window”. They claimed he deliberately “demeaned and intimidated” them.

They did not formally report the claim at the time but said they made contemporaneous notes and raised the matter with the Ministry of Defence’s head of human resources.

Williamson said: “I strongly reject this allegation and have enjoyed good working relationships with the many brilliant officials I have worked with. No specific allegations have ever been brought to my attention.”

The claim will increase pressure on Rishi Sunak after he appointed Williamson as a minister in the Cabinet Office. No 10 said the prime minister had “full confidence” in him.

Wendy Morton, the former chief whip, is escalating her bullying complaint against Williamson amid fears of a “whitewash” by the Tory party. She is referring Williamson to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme, The Times has been told. The cabinet minister sent expletive-laden texts to Morton when she was the chief whip. Another female Tory MP has also provided evidence to the party about a recent encounter with Williamson.

Wendy Morton, the former chief whip, is escalating her bullying complaint against Williamson

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE

Williamson sent the message to Morton last month amid unfounded claims that she excluded him from attending the Queen’s funeral.

In a WhatsApp message, he told her “there is a price for everything”, before saying her conduct was “absolutely disgusting” and that she had chosen to “f*** us all over”. When challenged, he retorted that it “looks shit” and that “perception becomes reality”.

Allies of Morton said the comments risked prejudicing any inquiry by the Conservative Party.

Sunak told broadcasters he would not be “passing judgment” until after an “independent investigation”, understood to be the inquiry by the Tory party. “I want to see the results of that but I’ve been very clear that language is not right, it’s not acceptable,” he said. “And that’s why I welcome the fact that Gavin Williamson has expressed regret about that, and now wait to see what the investigation says.”

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Sir Jake Berry, the former party chairman, said he told Sunak the day before he entered No 10 that Morton had made a complaint. The prime minister went ahead with the appointment.

The Times disclosed on Monday that a minister claimed Williamson had raised details about her private life in an attempt to silence her while she was on the back benches. The Tory MP said Williamson had called her into his office when he was chief whip in 2016 and she was campaigning on an issue that was causing the government difficulty. Williamson is said to have mentioned her private life, which she interpreted as a tacit threat.

Allies of Williamson denied that he had been trying to silence the MP.

Williamson said: “I 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.”