Rishi Sunak is set to face off with Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday for the first time since Gavin Williamson resigned amid allegations of bullying.
Mr Williamson quit Mr Sunak’s Cabinet after allegations about his conduct towards colleagues and officials during a controversial Commons career.
On Tuesday evening, the former Cabinet Office minister said he had decided to “step back from Government” while the complaints process into his conduct is carried out, vowing to “clear my name of any wrongdoing”.
The decision to quit follows allegations he sent expletive-laden messages to former chief whip Wendy Morton complaining about being refused an invitation to the Queen’s funeral, claims he bullied a former official at the Ministry of Defence and an accusation of “unethical and immoral” behaviour while he was chief whip.
Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer
PA
Gavin Williamson
Stefan Rousseau
Sir Gavin said there was an ongoing complaints process “concerning text messages I sent to a colleague” – a reference to Ms Morton’s complaint.
“I am complying with this process and I have apologised to the recipient for those messages,” he said.
“Since then, there have been other allegations made about my past conduct. I refute the characterisation of these claims, but I recognise these are becoming a distraction for the good work this Government is doing for the British people.
“I have therefore decided to step back from Government so that I can comply fully with the complaints process that is underway and clear my name of any wrongdoing.“
While Sir Keir could again question the PM about the ongoing immigration crisis, as he did in last week’s PMQs.
Last Wednesday, Sir Keir clashed with Mr Sunak over the asylum system after Home Secretary Suella Braverman described it as "broken".
Sir Keir said: “His Home Secretary says the asylum system is broken. Who broke it?”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak responded: “We can look at the record on migration policy.”
The remark was met with a wall of noise from the Labour benches before Mr Sunak continued: “What did we on this side of the House do?
“We gave the British people a referendum on Brexit. We delivered Brexit. We ended the free movement of people.
"That’s our record on migration policy. It’s not something the honourable gentleman supported. He opposed it at every turn and it’s not what the British people want.
