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Original poster

Gavin Williamson - does anyone know why?

27 replies

Westfacing · 26/10/2022 10:18

Could anyone who is really in the know please explain why he is back in the Cabinet. If you work at the HoC or party HQ, whatever, maybe you'd like to tell us, seriously.

It can't be that as a former chief whip and all that 'he knows where the bodies are buried' business - there are a lot of former chief whips and they don't keep bouncing back.

OP posts:
PersonaNonGarter · 26/10/2022 10:20

He is good at his job.

iamjustwinginglife · 26/10/2022 10:23

PersonaNonGarter · 26/10/2022 10:20

He is good at his job.

You're obviously not a teacher!

MrsSkylerWhite · 26/10/2022 10:23

PersonaNonGarter · Today 10:20
“He is good at his job.“

🤣
”Russia should shut up and go away”
The man’s an idiot.

Interested in this thread?

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Politics
SnowdaySewday · 26/10/2022 11:16

When the lights go out, he probably has some knock-off fireplaces that could be utilised to keep people warm.

He's served his primary purpose - to ensure Gove is not remembered as the single worst Education Secretary. Who or what is he deflecting public attention from now?

Rishi may be wise to be keeping him in sight and busy so he has less time and opportunity to cause trouble.

Dreikanter · 26/10/2022 11:26

iamjustwinginglife · 26/10/2022 10:23

You're obviously not a teacher!

Show quote history

He was a shit Defence Secretary (and sacked) and a shit Education Secretary. He can bring the same level of utter uselessness to being a Minister Without Portfolio.

noblegiraffe · 26/10/2022 11:28

He's mates with Rishi.

But Rishi knows how shit he is and couldn't give him an actual job, so he is 'without portfolio'.

ReedRite · 26/10/2022 11:29

Rushi probably thinks he’ll need a fall guy at some point.

Either that, or he wants him on side and where he can keep an eye on him rather than have him running round with a beef.

lbnblbnb · 26/10/2022 11:31

@SnowdaySewday

He's served his primary purpose - to ensure Gove is not remembered as the single worst Education Secretary. Who or what is he deflecting public attention from now?

This. When the prospect of schools being shut again due to Covid was being discussed ALL Christmas holidays, we went back for ONE DAY (long enough for lots of cross contamination etc), then he shut the schools again. What data changed between those two days? NONE! Bloody man.

PeekAtYou · 26/10/2022 11:35

It's probably the old keep your friends close but your enemies closer.
Rishi is wise to worry about his job security. It's only in the last 5 years or so that I've heard of party insiders who can bring down the PM (eg the 1922 committee, ERG...)
Maybe Rishi is in Gav's little orange book of dirt?

southlondoner02 · 26/10/2022 12:16

I always think Williamson must have a lot of info on the skeletons they all have in the cupboard

Original poster
Westfacing · 26/10/2022 13:36

PersonaNonGarter · 26/10/2022 10:20

He is good at his job.

He was sacked when Secretary of State for Defence, for leaking information!

OP posts:
iamjustwinginglife · 26/10/2022 14:21

@Dreikanter -so the only thing he's good at is being consistently shit.

Musicalmaestro · 26/10/2022 15:03

Perhaps he is Rishi’s Knight in shining armour.

Who knows what he knows in order for Boris to say he should be called Sir, certainly nobody in Education would agree.

Original poster
Westfacing · 06/11/2022 07:28

Reviving this recent thread which I started, in light of his latest behaviour.

He really does seem to be a nasty piece of work!

OP posts:
SudocremOnEverything · 06/11/2022 07:32

I think he must know where the right bodies are buried. Something specifically damaging to sunak in particular.

He’s utterly useless.

carefulcalculator · 06/11/2022 07:36

southlondoner02 · 26/10/2022 12:16

I always think Williamson must have a lot of info on the skeletons they all have in the cupboard

This is correct IMO, he was Chief Whip and apparently knows a LOT.

Gunpowder · 06/11/2022 07:40

I hope Matt Hancock forgets about the cameras in the jungle and starts telling us this stuff.

noblegiraffe · 06/11/2022 09:48

Sam Freedman's substack at the end of October explains why Rishi gave Gav the cabinet role:

"The other hostage to fortune in Sunak’s cabinet picks is Gavin Williamson, who has been acting as Sunak’s unofficial whip over the past few months, and has been rewarded with a “without portfolio” cabinet role – essentially the cabinet fixer. Williamson is much better suited to this than he was to being Education Secretary, but he’s still a liability. Many of the most incendiary anonymous source quotes to journalists about the Johnson and Truss administrations over recent months came from Williamson, and that has made him extremely unpopular in sections of the party. If and when he slips up there will be plenty of MPs only too delighted to knife him."

So Rishi used Gav over the summer to help his campaign.

And now Gav has slipped up, so 🍿

Original poster
Westfacing · 06/11/2022 16:35

Popcorn time indeed!

OP posts:
Derrymum123 · 06/11/2022 16:58

He knows where the bodies are buried. Rishi Sunak needs to keep him close.

BannerofHeaven · 06/11/2022 17:05

PeekAtYou · 26/10/2022 11:35

It's probably the old keep your friends close but your enemies closer.
Rishi is wise to worry about his job security. It's only in the last 5 years or so that I've heard of party insiders who can bring down the PM (eg the 1922 committee, ERG...)
Maybe Rishi is in Gav's little orange book of dirt?

But didn't insiders bring down Thatcher?

pompomdaisy · 06/11/2022 17:07

He had something on somebody and they have kept him in a knighted him to shut him up. Of course!

Gunpowder · 07/11/2022 22:29

Williamson was the one with ‘the spreadsheet’ when he was Chief Whip wasn’t he?
I wonder if everyone keeps him happy to save their own arses or it’s more to avoid the whole thing being leaked? Maybe it would spell the end of the Tory party?

MrsSkylerWhite · 08/11/2022 10:26

Today’s reports are disgusting. What kind of psycho tells a subordinate to cut their throat?

So much for Sunak’s ethical, responsible governance.

TurquoiseBeach · 08/11/2022 10:54

PersonaNonGarter · 26/10/2022 10:20

He is good at his job.

Are you able to give any examples? Genuinely. I'm not trying to be goady!