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Rishi Sunak had not seen the “unacceptable” messages Sir Gavin Williamson sent to the former chief whip Wendy Morton before appointing him to the Cabinet, it has been claimed.
But the Prime Minister continues to back Sir Gavin despite learning of the contents of the “threatening” texts he sent to his colleague.
This week it emerged that Sir Gavin faces an investigation into his behaviour towards Ms Morton, after sending her a series of expletive-laden messages expressing his anger at not having been invited to the Queen’s funeral.
On Sunday, Oliver Dowden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, confirmed that Mr Sunak was aware that Sir Gavin was the subject of a complaint for allegedly bullying a colleague when he brought him back into the Government.
However, Mr Dowden insisted that the Prime Minister had not seen the detail of the messages until they were disclosed by the Sunday Times on Saturday night.
Mr Dowden told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme: “As you have seen from the former chairman Jake Berry, he says that he highlighted that to the Prime Minister.
“But in terms of the specific allegations, the specific exchange, the Prime Minister wasn’t aware of it until last night.”
Asked if Mr Sunak had confidence in Sir Gavin, Mr Dowden said: “Of course the Prime Minister continues to have confidence in Gavin Williamson.”
Sir Gavin, a close ally of Mr Sunak, who helped rally MPs during his leadership campaigns, is now the subject of an inquiry by Conservative Central Headquarters (CCHQ) after Ms Morton submitted a complaint about his behaviour.
A transcript of the messages revealed that Sir Gavin had told Liz Truss’s chief whip “you f— us all over” during a row over the guest list for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
The majority of government tickets for the funeral had been reserved for Cabinet ministers, with the remainder going to a handful of senior MPs.
But during a WhatsApp exchange, revealed by the Sunday Times, Sir Gavin claimed it was “very poor how [parliamentary colleagues] who aren’t favoured have been excluded from the funeral”.
When Ms Morton denied that was the case, he replied: “-Well [it] certainly looks it, which I think is very s— and perception becomes reality. Also don’t forget I know how this works so don’t puss me about.”
Ms Morton insisted the number of places for the funeral was “extremely limited”, but Sir Gavin responded: “This shows exactly how you have rigged it. It is disgusting you are using her death to punish people who are just supportive, absolutely disgusting.
“Let’s see how many times you f— us all over. There is a price for everything.”
Sir Jake Berry, the Tory chairman at the time, said he told Mr Sunak and his incoming chief of staff about the complaint on Oct 24, the day Ms Morton indicated she wished to formally complain and a day before Mr Sunak entered Downing Street.
Asked whether Sir Gavin’s messages were “threatening”, Mr Dowden said he should “not have used that sort of language” but explained he was “expressing his frustration”.
Mr Dowden defended Sir Gavin, saying the messages were “sent in the heat of the moment” at a “difficult time for the party”.
The Prime Minister was aware many backbenchers had a “difficult relationship” with Ms Morton, who was chief whip under Ms Truss, Mr Dowden said.
“I don’t think it was any secret that Gavin Williamson and other backbenchers had a difficult relationship with the chief whip,” he added.
“These were sent in the heat of the moment expressing frustration. It was a difficult time for the party. He now accepts that he shouldn’t have done it and he regrets doing so. Thankfully we are in a better place now as a party.”
The revelations present a further headache for Mr Sunak, who has already faced criticism for reappointing both Sir Gavin and Suella Braverman, who regained her position as Home Secretary.
Ed Miliband, Labour’s shadow climate change secretary, 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.”
Sir Gavin told the Sunday Times he “of course [regretted] getting frustrated” and hoped to work “positively” with Ms Morton in the future.
A spokesman for CCHQ said: “The Conservative Party has a robust complaints process in place. This process is rightly a confidential one, so that complainants can come forward in confidence.”