Following the news that Gavin Williamson has been sacked as Defence Secretary over the Huawei leak, Labour is calling for a police investigation and has pointed out that the Tory civil war may have put national security at risk.
Although Williamson denies leaking information from a National Security Council meeting about a deal with Chinese firm Huawei, which worried some MPs who believe it could pose a security risk, the Prime Minister said: “No other, credible version of events to explain this leak has been identified”.
Nia Griffiths, Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary, commented: “The Tories are in chaos and incapable of sorting out their own crisis. Conservative infighting has undermined the basic functioning of government, and has now potentially put security at risk. The police must urgently investigate.”
Deputy leader and shadow cabinet member Tom Watson issued a similar demand, calling for Williamson’s prosecution on Twitter:
If he has leaked from the National Security Council, Gavin Williamson should be prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act. And he should forgo his ministerial severance pay. https://t.co/kAWOaLkhWh
— Tom Watson (@tom_watson) May 1, 2019
Penny Mordaunt will replace Williamson as Defence Secretary, and Rory Stewart has been confirmed as the new International Development Secretary.
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