JUST when you thought the UK Government could not get any more dysfunctional Theresa May has had to sack her Defence Secretary because of a major security breach. Yes, the Defence Secretary.
Gavin Williamson continued to deny his involvement last night, suggesting that Sir Mark Sedwill’s Whitehall probe was rushed through.
The Prime Minister noted that there was “compelling evidence” that the Staffordshire MP was the leaker. But, of course, No 10 declined to say what this was.
READ MORE: Opposition parties call for police probe after Williamson sacked over Security Council leak
It had been suggested the phone calls and emails of ministers and their special advisers were examined to see who had been speaking to the Telegraph journalist, who got the leaked information. But, again, Downing Street declined to confirm this was the case.
Mrs May told Mr Williamson that others who attended the National Security Council had “all answered questions, engaged properly, provided as much information as possible to assist with the investigation, and encouraged their staff to do the same”.
But her Defence Secretary’s “conduct has not been of the same standard as others”.
So, it is still unclear whether there was a clear piece of evidence that pointed directly to Mr Williamson or whether it was circumstantial.
Of course, the now former Secretary of State has not been a stranger to controversy during his brief tenure at the Ministry of Defence.
READ MORE: Gavin Williamson sacked from government over Huawei leak
Indeed, a string of gaffes had earned him the nickname “Private Pike” of Dad’s Army fame.
Following the Skripal poisoning, Mr Williamson told the Kremlin: “Frankly, Russia should go away and should shut up.” The remarks were widely ridiculed in Russia and the UK.
He was also the butt of Whitehall jokes when, to stretch the defence budget, he suggested mounting guns on tractors to create makeshift mobile missile launchers and buying second-hand ferries to convert into landing assault craft.
One insider complained: “The man is out of his mind. No one knows what to do.”
In one bizarre episode, Mr Williamson was debating Syria from the Commons despatch box, which sparked into life the Siri service on his iPhone. It interrupted his flow by declaring: “I’ve found something on the web for Syria.”
But leaking sensitive information from the NSC is no joke and while Mrs May now considers the matter “closed” it could be only the start of the former minister’s problems; opposition leaders are demanding a police probe into whether he broke the Official Secrets Act.
If he has, a jail term could loom.
In the life of this crisis-laden Government, one wonders what else could go wrong. Yes Minister doesn’t come close.
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