Perusing the list of declared Boris-backers yesterday, Mr S was struck by the omission of several high-profile names. The erstwhile uber-loyalist Matt Hancock for one: the former Health Secretary was previously one of Johnson’s most ardent supporters, in his desperate bid to return to the cabinet. But even more intriguing than the womanizer of West Suffolk’s silence was the lack of any kind of public statement from Sir Gavin Williamson, South Staffordshire’s answer to Sir Francis Urqhart.
Sir Gav of course played a key role in the fortunes of two Tory premiers. In 2016 he was reported to have ‘privately vowed’ to stop Boris Johnson’s bid to become party leader, instead offering his services as parliamentary campaign manager to Theresa May. When she duly triumphed, she made him Chief Whip and thereafter Defence Secretary. Williamson was fired from that post over a leaking incident in May 2019, but returned to cabinet two months later as Education Secretary.
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