Theresa May sacks Gavin Williamson over Huawei leak
Defence secretary was confronted with ‘compelling evidence’ of culpability
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Sam Coates, Deputy Political Editor
May 1 2019, 6:30pm, The Times
Gavin Williamson denied responsibility for the leak last week, but was sacked after he was unable to answer Mrs May’s questionsRICHARD POHLE/THE TIMES
Theresa May has sacked Gavin Williamson as defence secretary after finding “compelling evidence” that he was culpable of leaking confidential cabinet discussions.
The prime minister dismissed Mr Williamson this evening after he failed to answer questions about the leaking of a decision to allow Huawei, a Chinese company, to supply technology for the next generation 5G network, despite warnings that it could compromise national security.
Penny Mordaunt, who was international development secretary, has been appointed in Mr Williamson’s place.
The prime minister confronted Mr Williamson with a “credible version of events to explain this leak” from the National Security Council (NSC) meeting. He was unable to answer the questions that this raised, and she sacked him.
Information about the Huawei decision appeared in the
Daily…