Gavin Williamson under pressure to quit over bullying claims as minister says ‘nobody unsackable’ – UK politics live

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In his interviews this morning Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, hinted strongly that the government will keep the triple lock in place for pensions – which would mean that next year they would rise by 10.1%.

When Liz Truss was prime minister she said the government remained committed to the triple lock. Under Rishi Sunak almost every government spending commitment is under review, pending the autumn statement next week, but ministers have said they want to continue to protect vulnerable people.

Stride told Times Radio that Sunak has been “extremely clear” that pensioners will be protected. He said:

The way the Conservatives in government have always seen pensioners is that they are a group that have particular vulnerabilities. They find it difficult to change their economic circumstances – certainly in the short term, for example, by going back into work, and therefore we have introduced things like the triple lock …

So pensioners are absolutely at the forefront of the group that we want to really protect as much as we can through these difficult times.

Grant Shapps, the business secretary, has said Sir Gavin Williamson has apologised for sending abusive messages to a colleague. As PA Media reports, Shapps, asked while arriving in Downing Street for cabinet this morning if Williamson was a bully, replied:

Not in my experience. Clearly he shouldn’t have sent those [messages], he’s recognised that and he’s apologised about it.

Speaking about the “slit your throat” comment, Shapps added: “I don’t think there was a formal complaint, so let’s wait and see what’s said about that.”

There have not been many Tories willing to defend Gavin Williamson, but yesterday Nick Timothy, who was co-chief of staff to Theresa May when Williamson was chief whip, put a thread on Twitter praising his political skills and saying Rishi Sunak should keep him. Timothy describes Williamson as “the best chief whip the party has had in decades”.

Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, drew the Downing Street short straw this morning and was on the airwaves having to defend Sir Gavin Williamson, as well as taking questions on other matters. “Defend” is probably the wrong word, because Stride’s support for his colleague was half-hearted at best, and in key respects he cut him loose. Here are the key points.

Stride said it would have been “utterly, utterly unacceptable” if Williamson had told a senior civil servant to “slit your throat” and “jump out of the window”. He told Sky News:

If that is the case, that is utterly, utterly unacceptable, but at the moment it is in the realm of media speculation.

Williamson has issued a generalised denial in response to the Guardian story, saying that he had good working relations with his officials. But he has not denied using the words attributed to him, described as “utterly, utterly unacceptable” by Stride.

Stride confirmed that Williamson’s messages to Wendy Morton were now the subject of a parliamentary investigation.

Stride said that a decision about Williamson’s future could be taken once the inquiry was over. He also suggested there could be further inquiries. He said:

I think the important thing we do now is not to start intervening … and opining on who’s right and wrong or what may or may not have happened, but to wait for the results of that investigation.

And then when we have that, and any other investigation that may be triggered in the meantime, then I think we can take stock and come to a firm conclusion.

Stride stressed that no minister was unsackable.

Stride said that Williamson, a former chief whip, deserved a seat at the cabinet table because of his understanding of Tory MPs. He told Times Radio:

I think Gavin is somebody who … has particular talents and a particular understanding of the parliamentary party.

Stride said that he “suspects” Williamson will still be a minister at Christmas.

Good morning. Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s communications chief, is credited with devising a rule saying that, if a scandal continues to dominate the news for more than a certain number of days, the minister involved in it has to go. No one is quite sure what the exact number of days is (13, 11, a week? Campbell himself has forgotten), but the basic principle is sound, and that should be very worrying for Sir Gavin Williamson, the beleaguered Cabinet Office minister. On Friday last week Cat Neilan from Tortoise revealed that Wendy Morton, the former chief whip, had submitted a complaint to CCHQ about Williamson. The story has now reached day five and, far from going away, it’s snowballing. Here are the key developments this morning.

Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, has described the language used by Williamson in these incidents as “just horrible”. In an interview with the Today programme, she also pointed out that, despite issuing a generalised denial, Williamson is not denying using the language quoted in Pippa’s report. Cooper said:

He doesn’t deny using the language. The language is horrible and you can’t imagine people being treated like that at work.

Gavin Williamson was reappointed to the cabinet even when Rishi Sunak knew there was a new complaint in against him. He has admitted that the language, even in the previous complaint, was unacceptable.

Bear in mind he has also appointed him to the Cabinet Office, which supports the National Security Council – even though Gavin Williamson was previously sacked by Theresa May for leaking from the National Security Council.

We have also got this other case where Rishi Sunak reappointed Suella Braverman just six days after she was effectively sacked for breaching the ministerial code and security lapses, and where further information and allegations have also come to light since then of security lapses and the leak investigation as well.

You have got this lack of proper standards, a lack of ethics. We have still not got an ethics adviser appointed and [the Tories are] also not taking security issues seriously.

Morton has referred her complaint about Williamson to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme, the parliamentary scheme set up to consider bullying allegations against MPs. Previously she complained to CCHQ. This development is serious for Williamson because ICGS investigations are particularly rigorous and impartial, whereas CCHQ investigations are less independent, and more opaque. The ICGS can also recommend the suspension of an MP as punishment. This new development was revealed by the Times’s Steven Swinford.

Nicky Morgan, the former education secretary, has said that based on her experience of Williamson when she was in government, she is not surprised by the allegations about him. Asked if Williamson should be sacked,Morgan also said it would be “very difficult” for Sunak not to demand his resignation. She said it would be better for Williamson to resign first. She made the comments on Talk TV last night.

Here is the agenda for the day.

Morning: Sunak chairs cabinet.

11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

11.30am: James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, takes questions in the Commons.

After 12.30pm: MPs begin a debate on a Labour motion saying the government should maintain the triple lock for the 2023-24 financial year.

1.10pm (UK time): Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, speaks at a panel discussion at Cop27 on loss and damage.

Around 4pm: MPs begin a debate on a Labour motion that would force the government to publish government papers relating to the decision to reappoint Braverman as home secretary, and any security breaches or leak inquiries she was involved in.

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