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Sir Gavin Williamson has resigned from government over accusations of bullying, saying he will “clear [his] name of any wrongdoing”.

His departure came shortly after an ex-civil servant, who claimed Sir Gavin told them to “slit your throat”, made a formal complaint against the Cabinet Office minister.

In his resignation letter that he shared on Twitter, Sir Gavin said he “refutes the characterisation of these claims”, but that the allegations were “becoming a distraction for the good work this government is doing for the British people”.

Politics live: Williamson says allegations were ‘becoming a distraction’

As a result, he had “decided to step back from government” and would “fully with the complaints process”.

In his response, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he accepted the resignation “with great sadness”, but added: “I support your decision to step back and understand why you have taken it.”

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said the events had shown “yet another Tory government has descended into chaos”.

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Accusations against Sir Gavin came to light over the weekend when reports claimed he had sent abusive texts to former chief whip Wendy Morton, complaining he had been excluded from the Queen’s funeral.

Ms Morton made a complaint to the Conservative Party about the messages, but earlier today confirmed she was reporting him to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS), parliament’s independent watchdog.

On Monday, a further allegation surfaced, with a former Ministry of Defence official saying Sir Gavin had told them to “slit your throat” and, on another occasion, “jump out of the window” in what they called a sustained campaign of bullying.

Earlier, that ex-civil servant confirmed they too would be going to the ICGS as the incidents had an “extreme impact” on their mental health.

Writing to Mr Sunak, who appointed him to his new cabinet just two weeks ago and had stood by his minister throughout the week, Sir Gavin said: “As you know, there is an ongoing complaints process concerning text messages I sent to a colleague [Ms Morton]. I am complying with this process and have apologised to the recipient for those messages.

“Since then there have been other allegations made about my past conduct [the ex-civil servant]. I refute the characterisation of these claims but I recognise these are becoming a distraction for the good work this government is doing for the British people.

“I have therefore decided to step back from government so that I can comply fully with the complaints process that is underway and clear my name of any wrongdoing.”

He added that it was “with real sadness” that he offered his resignation, but that he would offer Mr Sunak his “full and total support from the backbenches”, and was “proud” to have worked for his government.

Writing in response, Mr Sunak said Sir Gavin’s “commitment to successive Conservative governments and the party over the years has been unwavering”.

And after saying he supported the decision, the PM added: “I would like to thank you for your personal support and loyalty. I know you will continue to represent your constituents with diligence and care.”

Labour’s Ms Rayner claimed Mr Sunak had appointed Sir Gavin “with full knowledge of serious allegations about his conduct and repeatedly expressed confidence in him”, adding the events of the past weak had been “a damning reflection of a weak prime minister”.

She said: “This is yet another example of Rishi Sunak’s poor judgement and weak leadership. It is clear that he is trapped by the grubby backroom deals he made to dodge a vote, and is incapable of putting country before party.

Sir Gavin served as Theresa May’s chief whip from 2016 and then as defence secretary from November 2017 until May 2019, but was fired over a row around a leak from government.

He was hired back by Boris Johnson as education secretary two months later, but was again ousted in September 2021 after much criticism of his handling of the brief during the pandemic.

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper MP said: “This should be the third and final time Gavin Williamson is forced out of the Cabinet.

“Rishi Sunak has serious questions to answer about why he appointed Gavin Williamson, then stood by him instead of sacking him. His promise to lead a government of integrity has now been left in tatters.”

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

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JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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Boy dies after ‘getting into difficulty’ in lake in southeast London

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Boy dies after 'getting into difficulty' in lake in southeast London

A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.

Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.

The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.

“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.

The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.

The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.

In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.

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google street view inside Beckenham Place park, Lewisham where a 16 y/o boy is missing after getting into difficulty in a lake
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Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon

Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.

The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.

It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.

“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”

Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.

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