Britain’s new prime minister knew a colleague was under investigation for bullying when he brought him back into government.
Rishi Sunak was told about the complaint against Sir Gavin Williamson days before he appointed him to the cabinet, said former chairman of the Conservative Party, Sir Jake Berry.
Sir Gavin allegedly sent abusive text messages to the party’s former chief whip, Wendy Morton, complaining he and others had been excluded from Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral for political reasons.
In the messages, Sir Gavin started by saying: “There is a price for everything”. He said Ms Morton's conduct was “absolutely disgusting” and went on to use multiple expletives.
Sir Gavin is facing an investigation over the series of alleged abusive and threatening messages.
Mr Sunak promised to serve with “integrity and humility” when he succeeded Liz Truss in late October.
But this is the second complaint he has faced about a cabinet appointment in less than two weeks, after he brought Ms Braverman back into government six days after she was found to have breached the ministerial code, forcing her resignation under Ms Truss.
Sir Jake said he informed the prime minister and his incoming chief of staff the same day, the day before Mr Sunak entered No 10, that Ms Morton was submitting a complaint about the messages, The Times reported.
Oliver Dowden, the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who has been described as Mr Sunak’s “right-hand man”, has confirmed the prime minister was aware of the complaint when he appointed Sir Gavin a minister of state without portfolio.
Speaking on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Dowden said: “It was not the case though that the prime minister saw the texts themselves.
“The complaint itself is ongoing and I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to prejudge that.”
He said it was not acceptable for Sir Gavin to have spoken to Ms Morton in that way, but the texts were sent “in the heat of the moment at a very difficult time”.
“Gavin accepts he shouldn’t have said these things and he regrets it,” Mr Dowden said. “We should all treat each other with respect and courtesy, and that was not the case there.”
In a separate interview on Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Mr Dowden said: “Of course the prime minister continues to have confidence in Gavin Williamson.”
Labour's shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband warned against a “cover-up” or a “whitewash” over allegations relating to Sir Gavin.
He told Sky News: “These are incredibly serious issues and I think it really calls into question Rishi Sunak's judgment and the way he made decisions about his cabinet.
“We already know about the whole Suella Braverman issue: being reappointed six days after she resigned.
“It was very noticeable … that Oliver Dowden couldn't deny that Rishi Sunak knew about those issues to do with potential bullying against Wendy Morton, the chief whip, by Gavin Williamson and yet he reappointed him.
“What it says is that Rishi Sunak was making decisions simply in his own narrow short-term interest as far as the Conservative Party leadership was concerned, not the national interest, and there needs to be an urgent independent investigation into exactly what happened. We can't have a cover-up, we can't have a whitewash here.
“What did Rishi Sunak know? When did he know it? What did Gavin Williamson do and what are the implications of that?”
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE
Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)
Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Roma 4
Milner (15' OG), Dzeko (52'), Nainggolan (86', 90 4')
Liverpool 2
Mane (9'), Wijnaldum (25')
The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
THURSDAY'S FIXTURES
4pm Maratha Arabians v Northern Warriors
6.15pm Deccan Gladiators v Pune Devils
8.30pm Delhi Bulls v Bangla Tigers
Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
Directed: Smeep Kang
Produced: Soham Rockstar Entertainment; SKE Production
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Sunny Singh, Omkar Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma
Rating: Two out of five stars
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECVT%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E119bhp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E145Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh%2C89%2C900%20(%2424%2C230)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Quick%20facts
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RESULTS FOR STAGE 4
Stage 4 Dubai to Hatta, 197 km, Road race.
Overall leader Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Stage winners: 1. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal) 2. Matteo Moschetti ITA (Trek - Segafredo) 3. Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
World Cup 2022 qualifier
UAE v Indonesia, Thursday, 8pm
Venue: Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
Kandahar%20
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
