London
CNN
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British Cabinet Office Minister Gavin Williamson He resigned on Tuesday after the abuse allegations, saying the allegations against him were “a distraction from the good work this government is doing”.
“As you are aware, there is an ongoing complaints process regarding text messages I sent to a colleague,” Williamson said in his resignation letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
“I am following this process and have apologized to the recipient for those messages. Since then, other allegations have been made about my past behavior. I reject the characterization of these allegations, but recognize that they are a distraction from the good work this government is doing for the British people,” he added in the letter.
“I have therefore decided to step down from government so that I can fully comply with the ongoing complaints process and clear my name of any wrongdoing,” Williamson said.
According to the PA news agency, Sunak accepted his resignation “with great sadness”. “I would like to thank you for your personal support and loyalty,” Sunak said.
Williamson’s current tenure in government only lasted within 14 days. Williamson, considered a close ally of Sunak, had faced growing calls to quit following allegations of abuse.
Former deputy chief whip Anne Milton described Williamson’s behavior when he was chief whip five years ago as “threatening” and “intimidating” in an interview with Channel 4 news broadcast on Tuesday.
Milton, who worked with Williamson in the party discipline whip’s office, also called his behavior “unethical and immoral”.
“I got the impression that he likes gossip and will use it as a tool against MPs if need be,” Milton told the broadcaster.
Williamson has yet to publicly respond to Milton’s claims. CNN has reached out to the lawmaker for comment.
Williamson said Tuesday that he will not receive any severance pay after resigning. writes on Twitter “This is taxpayers’ money and should instead be going towards government priorities such as reducing NHS waiting lists.”
He was an MP from the Conservative Party was fired before Then Prime Minister Theresa May sacked as Defense Secretary in 2019 over the leak of a key decision on Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.
May’s decision follows an investigation by the Daily Telegraph newspaper into how the UK government is preparing to give Huawei access to parts of the country’s 5G mobile network. At the time, Williamson “vehemently” denied being the source of the leak in a letter to his Twitter account.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson then appointed him Secretary of State for Education, which saw Williamson chair a controversial meeting. exam evaluation algorithm Testing could not be conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic. After widespread outrage from parents, students and educators, the grading system was scrapped.
Williamson also made waves by appearing to be confused two great black British sports starsThe interviewer said he had spoken to Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford, who is campaigning for free school meals for needy children during the pandemic, when he actually met rugby player Maro Itoje.
Johnson removed him from this position during a cabinet reshuffle in 2021.
Williamson is also a former chief whip and served as Minister Without Portfolio in Sunak’s government before resigning on Tuesday.
