U.K.'s Williamson Hits Back After Being Fired Over Leak

(Bloomberg) -- The U.K.'s ousted defense secretary Gavin Williamson hit back at Prime Minister Theresa May after she fired him for revealing secret discussions about Huawei Technologies Co.'s role in Britain.

Williamson, a former government chief whip famous for keeping a tarantula on his desk, forcibly denied he was responsible for the leak from a meeting of Britain's National Security Council.

“I have been completely and utterly screwed,” he told Sky News. “When I spoke to the prime minister she said I could either resign or be sacked, I said I would not resign because I did not leak this information, so she sacked me.”

May's decision to remove Williamson represents an attempt to regain control over a government in disarray. Leaking from within May's Cabinet has become routine as her political authority has drained away. May is unpopular with Conservative members of Parliament and has promised to quit once Brexit is done. Rival contenders to replace her are already jostling for position.

“The prime minister needs to show she is strong and bold, this is a useful way of doing that,” Williamson told Sky.

Yet the leaking of confidential discussions over Huawei's roll in the U.K.'s 5G network -- within hours of them taking place -- outraged security officials and prompted ministers to write to May demanding an inquiry. They suggested the disclosure was being done to try to gain advantage in the Conservative leadership race.

The premier has grown used to leaks from Cabinet meetings on Brexit, as ministers fight to get their version of events out first. But this was a matter of national security.

“It was less the substance of what was disclosed, rather the matter of where it was disclosed from,” Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington told Parliament on Thursday. He said it is essential that security officials know they can speak at the NSC in confidence.

Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill began an investigation, and in a meeting with Williamson on Wednesday evening, May told the defense secretary he hadn't cooperated to “the same standard” as others.

“I put to you the latest information from the investigation, which provides compelling evidence suggesting your responsibility for the unauthorized disclosure,” May wrote in her letter sacking Williamson. “No other credible version of events to explain this leak has been identified.”

Denial

Williamson denied he was responsible for the leak in his letter to May. It's rare for ministers to be fired, and more usual for them to accept an invitation to resign.

“I appreciate you offering me the option to resign, but to resign would have been to accept that I, my civil servants, my military advisers or my staff were responsible: this was not the case,” he wrote.

A government spokesman said that while the question of criminal proceedings isn't up to the government, as far as the prime minister is concerned, the matter is now closed. The Telegraph reported Williamson said he'd welcome a police inquiry, because it would clear him.

‘Out of Control'

Briefing by Cabinet ministers “has been running out of control and we're now seeing the consequences of it,” Dominic Grieve, a Conservative MP and chairman of Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee, told Sky News. “It causes reputational damage to our country with our allies, it's really undesirable and it must stop.”

May's move to clamp down on unruly ministers came the night before local elections on Thursday, in which the Tories are expected to face a drubbing for their failure to deliver Brexit.

The opposition Labour Party said it showed the level of chaos in May's administration.

“Conservative infighting has undermined the basic functioning of government, and has now potentially put security at risk,” Labour defense spokeswoman Nia Griffith said. “The police must urgently investigate.”

The meeting last week was convened to discuss the results of a six-month review of Britain's telecom supply chain, including Huawei's role in the roll-out of so-called 5G networks. Britain is set to toughen the rules under which the Chinese firm operates in the country while stopping short of an outright ban, according to people familiar with the matter.

Allied Tensions

The issue has divided politicians, while the U.K.'s allies are also watching closely. The U.S. has warned countries not to include equipment from Huawei or other Chinese suppliers.

Huawei denies that its equipment is vulnerable to state espionage.

Williamson has previously tried to use confrontation with China as a way to burnish his credentials as defense secretary. In February, he threatened to deploy a warship to Asia on its maiden voyage, saying it would be a show of strength against China's territorial aspirations in the region.

A Chinese official accused Williamson of a return to a “Cold War mentality,” while Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond had to cancel a trip to China in the aftermath.

Williamson is also known for telling reporters that Russia should “go away and shut up.”

Trusted Adviser

The 42-year-old had been a trusted adviser to both May and her predecessor David Cameron. For three years, he was Cameron's parliamentary private secretary, responsible for managing his relationship with lawmakers. 

When May became prime minister in 2016, she appointed Williamson chief whip, in charge of party discipline. When she lost her majority in the general election the following year, he negotiated the deal with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionists that allowed her to stay in office.

May named Penny Mordaunt, who had been international development secretary, as Williamson's replacement. A Royal Navy reservist and daughter of a paratrooper, Mordaunt was the first woman to serve as armed forces minister, and is now the first female defense secretary.

Mordaunt is pro-Brexit and seen as a potential leadership candidate. She made headlines in 2014 when she used a parliamentary speech on poultry welfare laced with innuendo to settle a bet with some Navy comrades. She has argued that British foreign aid spending should be accountable to U.K. officials rather than international charities, a move that adds to her popularity among grassroots Conservatives.

Rory Stewart, another potential leader but one who has been loyal to May and backs her Brexit deal, replaces Mordaunt as international development secretary.

To contact the reporters on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net;Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs

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