Gavin Williamson

The Right Honourable Sir Gavin Williamson CBE MP
Official portrait, 2020
Minister of State without Portfolio
In office 25 October 2022 – 8 November 2022
Prime Minister	Rishi Sunak
Preceded by	Nigel Adams
Succeeded by	Esther McVey
Secretary of State for Education
In office 24 July 2019 – 15 September 2021
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Damian Hinds
Succeeded by	Nadhim Zahawi
Secretary of State for Defence
In office 2 November 2017 – 1 May 2019
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Sir Michael Fallon
Succeeded by	Penny Mordaunt
Chief Whip of the House of Commons Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
In office 14 July 2016 – 2 November 2017
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Mark Harper
Succeeded by	Julian Smith
Member of Parliament for South Staffordshire
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2010
Preceded by	Sir Patrick Cormack
Majority	28,250 (56.5%)
Personal details
Born	Gavin Alexander Williamson (1976-06-25) 25 June 1976 (age 47) Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Joanne Eland ​ (m. 2001)​
Children	2
Education	Raincliffe School Scarborough Sixth Form College
Alma mater	University of Bradford
Website	gavinwilliamson.org

Sir Gavin Alexander Williamson CBE (born 25 June 1976) is a British politician who most recently served as Minister of State without Portfolio from 25 October to 8 November 2022. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Staffordshire since 2010. A member of the Conservative Party, Williamson previously served in Theresa May's Cabinet as Government Chief Whip from 2016 to 2017, Secretary of State for Defence from 2017 to 2019, and as Secretary of State for Education under Boris Johnson from 2019 to 2021.

Williamson was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, and was educated at Raincliffe School, Scarborough Sixth Form College and the University of Bradford. He was chair of a Conservative student body from 1997 to 1998. He served on the North Yorkshire County Council from 2001 to 2005. In the 2005 general election, he stood to become MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood, without success.

Williamson was elected as MP for South Staffordshire at the 2010 general election. He served in David Cameron's governments as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Transport, aiding Patrick McLoughlin, prior to being appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister in October 2013. Following Cameron's resignation, Williamson supported Theresa May's bid to become Conservative leader; May appointed Williamson as Chief Whip in her first government in July 2016. He later served as Secretary of State for Defence from November 2017 to May 2019, when he was dismissed following a leak from the National Security Council; Williamson denied leaking the information about Huawei's potential involvement in the British 5G network.

After supporting Boris Johnson's campaign to succeed May as Conservative leader, Williamson returned to the cabinet as Secretary of State for Education in July 2019. He served in the role during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, including times when schools were closed to most children, and was criticised for the 2020 school exam grading controversy. In September 2021, he was dismissed as Education Secretary when Johnson reshuffled his cabinet. He was subsequently nominated by Johnson for a knighthood, which he obtained in March 2022. Williamson supported Rishi Sunak in his two attempts to become Conservative leader; following Sunak's election in October 2022, he appointed Williamson as Minister of State without Portfolio.

In November 2022 Williamson resigned, stating he wanted to clear his name "of any wrongdoing" in relation to allegations, which he "strenuously denied", of him having bullied former Chief Whip Wendy Morton and of bullying behaviour previously during his own tenure as Chief Whip and as Defence Secretary.