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This article is about the British politician. For other people of the same name, see Gavin Williamson (disambiguation).

The Right Honourable
Gavin Williamson
CBE MP
Secretary of State for Defence
In office
2 November 2017 – 1 May 2019
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Preceded byMichael Fallon
Chief Whip of the House of Commons
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
In office
14 July 2016 – 2 November 2017
Prime MinisterTheresa May
DeputyJulian Smith
Preceded byMark Harper
Succeeded byJulian Smith
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
In office
7 October 2013 – 13 July 2016
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Preceded bySam Gyimah
Succeeded byGeorge Hollingbery
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Transport
In office
11 September 2012 – 7 October 2013
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Sec. of StatePatrick McLoughlin
Preceded byAndrew Jones
Succeeded byIain Stewart
& Julian Sturdy
Member of Parliament
for South Staffordshire
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded byPatrick Cormack
Majority22,733 (44.3%)
Personal details
Born
Gavin Alexander Williamson

(1976-06-25) 25 June 1976 (age 48)
Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England
Political partyConservative
SpouseJoanne Eland
Children2
EducationRaincliffe School
Scarborough Sixth Form College
Alma materUniversity of Bradford
Websitewww.gavinwilliamson.org Edit this at Wikidata

Gavin Alexander Williamson CBE (born 25 June 1976) is a British Conservative politician who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 2017 to May 1 2019, and has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for South Staffordshire since 2010.[1]

Williamson served in the Cameron Government as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Patrick McLoughlin, the Secretary of State for Transport[2] prior to being appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister in October 2013. From 14 July 2016 to 2 November 2017, he served as Chief Whip in the May Government,[3] and on 2 November 2017 he was appointed Defence Secretary. On 1 May 2019 he was dismissed as defence secretary, following a leak from the National Security Council. [4]

Early life and career

Williamson is originally from Scarborough, North Yorkshire. His parents, Ray, a local government worker, and Beverly, a job centre worker,[5][6] were both Labour voters.[7] Williamson was educated in Scarborough, at East Ayton Primary School, followed by Raincliffe School, a state comprehensive school, and the Scarborough Sixth Form College, where he studied Government and Politics and Economics at "A" Level. He obtained a BSc in Social Sciences from the University of Bradford.[8]

Williamson was the penultimate national chairman of Conservative Students, before it was abolished in 1998 and the separate youth wings of the party were amalgamated as Conservative Future. He was elected a county councillor in 2001 for the Seamer division in North Yorkshire but later stood down in 2005. Williamson is a former Deputy Chairman of Staffordshire Area Conservatives, Chairman of Stoke-on-Trent Conservative Association, and Vice-Chairman of Derbyshire Dales Conservative Association.[9]

Williamson worked as managing director of fireplace manufacturer Elgin & Hall, a subsidiary of AGA, until 2004.[10][11]

Williamson had become managing director of Aynsley China, a Staffordshire-based pottery firm by 2005. It sold ceramic tableware and he later became co-owner. In April 2005, Williamson was quoted in reports on the consumer rush to buy items with the wrong wedding date on for Charles and Camilla's wedding. He told The Telegraph, "We've literally had fights in our own retail shops. On the first day after the announcement I went into our factory shop in Stoke-on-Trent and we had people fighting over the last plate that we had on the shop floor. I think everybody has decided that this is going to be their pension."[5][12][13][14]

He has also worked for an architectural design firm until he became an MP in 2010.[2][15]

In the 2005 General Election, he stood unsuccessfully as the Conservative Party candidate in Blackpool North and Fleetwood.[12] After 2005, Williamson then moved to Derbyshire.[12]

Parliamentary career

Williamson meets with US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels in November 2017

Early parliamentary career (2010–2011)

In January 2010, Williamson was selected as the Conservative candidate in South Staffordshire for the 2010 general election. The incumbent, Patrick Cormack, had announced that he was retiring. The selection went to five ballots, but in the end Williamson won out over local councillor Robert Light in the final ballot.[16] Williamson was subsequently elected with a majority of 16,590 votes. Shortly after being elected, he cited his political inspiration as Rab Butler and, when asked what department of any he would most like to lead, he said the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as it is "business and manufacturing that can lead the way out of difficult economic times".[17]

Williamson made his maiden speech on 8 June 2010, on the same day as Nicky Morgan and Kwasi Kwarteng. During his speech, he said that "We do not sing enough the praises of our designers, engineers and manufacturers. We need to change that ethos and have a similar one to that of Germany or Japan. We will have a truly vibrant economy only when we recreate the Victorian spirit of ingenuity and inventiveness that made Britain such a vibrant country, as I am sure it will be again."[18] Williamson campaigned on a number of issues in his first year in Parliament.

In July 2010, Williamson called for a new law to allow local authorities to clamp down on car boot sales that disrupted traffic flow, citing villages in his constituency as examples.[19] In June 2011, he expressed support for postwoman Julie Roberts, who had been suspended after clinging for over a mile onto the bonnet of her post van that had been stolen. He said that "People want her back in work and they want the Royal Mail to show some common sense and some common decency" and asked the Royal Mail to reinstate her into her old job.[20] Williamson was one of several MPs who was absent or abstained on the important 21 March 2011 vote on supporting UN-backed action in Libya. The vote ultimately passed 557–13.[21]

Parliamentary Private Secretaryships (2011–2016)

In October 2011, Williamson was appointed as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Northern Ireland, Hugo Swire. He replaced Conor Burns, who became Owen Paterson's new PPS.[22] In September 2012, Williamson became PPS to Patrick McLoughlin, Secretary of State for Transport, and in 2013 became PPS to the Prime Minister, David Cameron.[23]

In Parliament, Williamson was a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee and was Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Motor Neurone Disease.[2]

Williamson supported the United Kingdom's remain campaign during the 2016 EU membership referendum.[24][25][26]

Williamson voted against an investigation into Tony Blair's role in the Iraq War.[27]

Chief Whip (2016–2017)

Following David Cameron's resignation, Williamson "privately vowed" to stop the front-runner Boris Johnson from becoming Conservative Party leader. He assessed Theresa May to be the likeliest candidate to defeat Johnson, offered his help to her, and was invited to be her parliamentary campaign manager.[7] Following May becoming prime minister, Williamson was appointed Chief Whip.[7]

Following the Conservative-DUP electoral pact after the 2017 General Election, Williamson visited Belfast to discuss arrangements with the DUP.[28]

Defence Secretary (2017–2019)

Williamson was appointed Secretary of State for Defence on 2 November 2017 after the resignation of Sir Michael Fallon the preceding evening.[29][30]

In February 2018, Williamson dined with Lubov Chernukhin, the wife of a former Putin minister, in exchange for £30,000.[31] Later that month, Williamson alleged that the leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, in meeting a Czech diplomat (later revealed to be a spy) during the 1980s, had "betray[ed]" his country. In response to the statement, a spokesman for Corbyn stated: "Gavin Williamson should focus on his job and not give credence to entirely false and ridiculous smears".[32]

Williamson meeting with United States Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis in 2017

Williamson has supported the Saudi Arabian-led military intervention in Yemen against the Shia Houthis despite concerns from human rights activists and Labour MPs about war crimes allegedly committed by the Saudi military.[33][34]

On 15 March 2018, in the wake of the Salisbury poisoning, Williamson answered a question about Russia's potential response to the UK′s punitive measures against Russia by saying that "frankly, Russia should go away, and it should shut up". The remark attracted media attention and criticism in the UK.[35] Meanwhile, Major-General Igor Konashenkov, the spokesman of the Russian Defence Ministry, said: "The market wench talk that British defence secretary Gavin Williamson resorted to reflects his extreme intellectual impotency".[36][37] Williamson′s remark was quoted by the president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, who posted a comment on his official Twitter account: "The Kremlin's 'chemical attack' in the UK is nothing but an encroachment on British sovereignty. And our message to Russia is the same as that of British defense secretary Gavin Williamson: 'shut up and go away'." [38][39]

In December 2018, Williamson expressed "grave" and "very deep concerns" about the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei providing technology to upgrade Britain's services to 5G. He accused China of acting "sometimes in a malign way".[40] China's Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian criticized Williamson’s comments, saying "The remarks just reinforced the deep-rooted ignorance, prejudice and anxiety among some British people. He was later fired after allegedly leaking confidential information surrounding the decision to allow Huawei partial access to the UK with their 5G technology. "[41]

On 11 February 2019 Williamson delivered the speech "Defence in Global Britain" at the Royal United Services Institute outlining the future direction of the U.K. Armed Forces.[42] The speech, which amongst a number of themes presented therein, proposes an increased role of the British military in the Indo-Pacific via the introduction of new and additional assets, including the F-35 carrying HMS Queen Elizabeth, was met with the consternation of the Chinese Government, leading Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua to cancel trade talks with Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond.[43][44][45] Hammond later stated that "no decisions have been made or even discussed about where [the aircraft carrier's] early deployments might be. And when those decisions are made, they will be made in the National Security Council."[46]

Critics of Williamson's approach to his Defence Secretary role have compared him to Private Pike, a hapless and immature character in the popular sitcom Dad's Army.[47][48]

On 1 May 2019, Williamson was asked to resign from his position as Defence Secretary, following the leaking of information relating to a National Security Council meeting.[49] Theresa May said she had "lost confidence in his ability to serve in his role".[50]

Personal life and honours

Williamson is married to Joanne, a former primary school teacher. The couple have two daughters, Annabel and Grace.[9] He was a charity trustee at a Citizen's Advice Bureau, and a school governor.[2]

Williamson is a patron of the World Owl Trust and while chief whip kept a Mexican redknee tarantula, Cronus, in his parliamentary office,[5] for which he was criticised by parliamentary authorities in November 2016.[51]

In the 2016 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours, Williamson was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) "for political and public service".[52]

In January 2018, it became known that Williamson, while he was managing director of fireplace firm Elgin & Hall in 2004, had an office romance. To save his marriage, he has said he left the firm.[10] According to Williamson, it became "flirtatious and a couple of times we shared a kiss", but it "never went further", Williamson told the Daily Mail.[11] "My family means everything to me and I almost threw it away", Williamson said. "This incident nearly destroyed two marriages".[10] The Sunday Telegraph reported that a senior co-worker stated that the woman involved was in tears when reporting the incident at work and that Williamson was subsequently the subject of a meeting with managers.[53]

References

  1. ^ "The Conservative Party". Conservatives.com. 19 July 2012. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012. {{cite web}}: Text "Gavin Williamson MP" ignored (help); Text "Members of Parliament" ignored (help); Text "People" ignored (help)
  2. ^ a b c d "About Gavin". Rt. Hon. Gavin Williamson MP. Archived from the original on 13 June 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Profile: Gavin Williamson, the "baby-faced assassin" who was Chief Whip. As of 2 November 2017 he became the new defence secretary– Conservative Home". Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ editor, Heather Stewart Political (1 May 2019). "Gavin Williamson sacked as defence secretary over Huawei leak". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 May 2019. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ a b c "Profile: Who is Gavin Williamson, the new defence secretary?". BBC News. 2 November 2017. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "ANDREW PIERCE profiles new defence secretary Gavin Williamson". Cetusnews. Archived from the original on 12 January 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ a b c Eaton, George. "Gavin Williamson: the cunning Tory chief whip with a tarantula on his desk". The New Statesman. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "Who's Who". Ukwhoswho.com. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  9. ^ a b "The Rt. Hon. Gavin Williamson CBE MP". South Staffordshire – Conservative Association. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ a b c Kentih, Benjamin (26 January 2018). "Gavin Williamson: Tory Defence Secretary admits to 'kissing' trysts with married former colleague". The Independent. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ a b Syal, Rajeev (26 January 2018). "Defence secretary refuses to answer questions about relationship with past colleague". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ a b c "ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog: Gavin Williamson selected for South Staffordshire". Conservativehome.blogs.com. 30 January 2010. Archived from the original on 19 June 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ Barrow, Becky (9 April 2005). "Ebay bidders go wild for April 8 memorabilia". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 March 2018. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  14. ^ "Royal wedding pottery snapped up". BBC News. 5 April 2005. Retrieved 21 March 2018. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  15. ^ "Gavin Williamson – Biography". politics.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2018. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "Gavin Williamson selected for South Staffordshire". Conservative Home. 30 January 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2018. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  17. ^ "Gavin Williamson MP answers ConHome's Twenty Questions for the Class of 2010". Conservative Home. 6 September 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2018. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  18. ^ "Nicky Morgan and Gavin Williamson stress the importance of manufacturing as Kwasi Kwarteng uses his maiden speech to accuse Labour MPs of being in "never-never land"". Conservative Home. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2018. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  19. ^ Patel, Sunita (31 July 2010). "New law call on car boot sales". Express and Star. Retrieved 21 March 2018. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  20. ^ "MP backs axed have-a-go postie". The Scarborough News. 24 June 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2018. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  21. ^ "The full list of how MPs voted on Libya action". BBC News. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2018. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  22. ^ "PoliticsHome.com". PoliticsHome.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "Gavin Williamson MP". Democracy Live. BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 November 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ Goodenough, Tom (16 February 2016). "Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence?". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ Maidment, Jack (11 January 2018). "Archived copy". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 November 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  26. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  27. ^ "How has our new defence secretary voted on the key issues?". Metro.co.uk. 2 November 2017.
  28. ^ "Who is the most powerful person in Britain?". ITV. 11 June 2017. Archived from the original on 11 June 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ "Theresa May appoints Gavin Williamson as defense secretary". POLITICO. 1 November 2017. Archived from the original on 1 November 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  30. ^ "Williamson is named defence secretary". BBC News. 2 November 2017. Archived from the original on 2 November 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ "Boris Johnson defends playing tennis with wife of Putin's ex-minister in return for £160,000 Tory donation". The Independent. 18 March 2018.
  32. ^ Fisher, Lucy (15 February 2018). "Jeremy Corbyn 'can't be trusted' after claims he met Soviet spy, says Gavin Williamson". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 21 February 2018. (subscription required)
  33. ^ "UK Government must be held accountable for children killed during Saudi Arabia's Yemen bombing, says Labour". The Independent. 7 March 2018.
  34. ^ "Britain to Sell Jets to Saudis Despite Conduct of Yemen War". The New York Times. 9 March 2018.
  35. ^ Merrick, Rob (15 March 2018). "Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson tells Putin to 'go away and shut up' rather than expel British diplomats from Russia". The Independent. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  36. ^ Cecil, Nicholas; Murphy, Joe; Stewart, Will (16 March 2018). "Russians taunt 'Gavin Williamson the wench' as West is united". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  37. ^ В Минобороны прокомментировали грубый выпад главы британского военного ведомства в адрес России TV Zvezda, 15 March 2018.
  38. ^ Poroshenko joins Britain urging Russia to "shut up and go away" unian.info, 17 March 2018.
  39. ^ Порошенко вслед за Британией посоветовал России заткнуться‍ RIA Novosti, 17 March 2018.
  40. ^ "BBC News: Huawei: 'Deep concerns' over firm's role in UK 5G upgrade". BBC News. 27 December 2018.
  41. ^ "Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš hits back at Chinese diplomats' Huawei and ZTE claims". South China Morning Post. 29 December 2018.
  42. ^ "Speech Defence in Global Britain". Ministry of Defence GOV.UK. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  43. ^ "China cancels trade talks with UK in protest over defence secretary's speech". Reuters. 14 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  44. ^ "The UK's shift in attitude to the threat of China". The Spectator. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  45. ^ "China cancels trade talks with UK over warship threat". The Straits Times. 15 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  46. ^ Perraudin, Frances (21 February 2019). "Hammond: UK-China relations 'not made simpler' by Williamson". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  47. ^ https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2018/02/security-ministers-private-pike-jibe/
  48. ^ https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/philip-hammond-s-allies-take-aim-at-private-pike-minister-gavin-williamson-777z808w5
  49. ^ editor, Heather Stewart Political (1 May 2019). "Gavin Williamson sacked as defence secretary over Huawei leak". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 May 2019. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  50. ^ "Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson sacked over Huawei leak". BBC. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  51. ^ McCann, Kate (24 November 2016). "Revealed: The first picture of Cronus, the chief whip's pet tarantula". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  52. ^ "Resignation Honours 2016" (PDF). GOV.UK. Cabinet Office. 4 August 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  53. ^ Nicola Harley, Steve Bird, Victoria Ward (28 January 2018). "Female colleague Gavin Williamson 'shared kiss' with was in tears, it was claimed". Sunday Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2018. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for South Staffordshire
2010–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Chief Whip of the House of Commons
2016–2017 		Succeeded by
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
2016–2017
Preceded by Secretary of State for Defence
2017–2019 		Succeeded by
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Party political offices
Preceded by Conservative Chief Whip of the House of Commons
2016–2017 		Succeeded by

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