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Sir Gavin Williamson told former chief whip ‘you’re fighting us’ in angry texts after barred from Queen’s funeral The cabinet minister is facing an investigation into a series of abusive and threatening messages sent to the then Tory leader protesting that he was not invited to the royal funeral. Sir Gavin, who was a backbencher at the time, accused Wendy Morton of using the monarch’s death to “punish” senior MPs who were out of favor with Liz Truss’s government. The exchange of messages, obtained by The Sunday Times, ended with him saying: “Well, let’s see how many times you’re going to hit us all over the place. There is a price for everything.” The newspaper reported that then party chairman Sir Jake Berry informed Rishi Sunak the day before he entered No 10 that Ms Morton had made a formal complaint to the party about Sir Gavin’s behaviour. Both Sir Jake and Ms Morton lost their jobs in the ensuing reshuffle, while Sir Gavin – a former chief whip and supporter of Mr Sunak – returned to government. In the messages, Sir Gavin complained that it was “very poor” that privy councilors – senior politicians who officially advise the monarch – who are “out of favour” have been barred from the funeral at Westminster Abbey. Ms Morton repeatedly insisted his claims were unfounded and the government had received an “extremely limited” number of tickets, most of which went to cabinet members. Sir Gavin replied: “It sure seems like thinking is a lot of shit, and perception becomes reality. Also, don’t forget that I know how it works, so don’t smell it [sic] me about “It’s very clear how you’re going to treat some of us, which is very stupid, and you’re all about mixing things up. “Also it shows exactly how you set it up [sic] disgusting you use her death to punish people who are just supportive, absolutely disgusting.’ Former Chief Whip Wendy Morton (Getty Images) “Well, let’s see how many times you’re going to fight us all over the place. There is a price for everything.” Sir Jake told the paper he was told by the Conservative Party chief executive on October 24 that a complaint had been made against Sir Gavin over allegations of “intimidation and bullying of parliamentary colleagues”. “According to protocol, in my capacity as party chairman, I informed both the new prime minister and his new chief of staff of the resignation on the same day,” he said. According to The Sunday Times, Mr Sunak did not remember the “specifics” of their conversation. Sir Gavin was made a privy councilor and knighted by Boris Johnson when he was prime minister earlier this year. However, many Tory MPs view him with suspicion because of his reputation as an extreme conspirator. The Queen’s Funeral Procession (Alkis Konstantinidis/PA) (PA Wire) He was sacked first by Theresa May as defense secretary for leaking details of a national security council meeting and then by Mr Johnson as education secretary over the A-level Covid-19 debacle. Deputy Labor leader Angela Rayner said Mr Sunack’s decision to bring Sir Gavin back into government called his judgment into question. “Gavin Williamson has been sacked from cabinet twice, yet despite the risk to national security, he is back at the heart of government,” he said. “Rishi Sunak’s promise to restore integrity, professionalism and accountability has been exposed as nothing more than empty words. Far from stopping the rot in Downing Street, it is letting it fester.’ A Conservative Party spokesman said: “The Conservative Party has a robust complaints process in place. This process is rightfully confidential so that complainants can come forward in confidence.” Sir Gavin told the Sunday Times: “Of course I regret being disappointed in the way colleagues and I felt we were treated. I am delighted to be speaking with Wendy and hope to work positively with her in the future as I have done in the past.”
