UK opposition parties called on Thursday for a police inquiry into whether former Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson leaked confidential information from the National Security Council.
Prime Minister Theresa May sacked Williamson from his post late Wednesday, telling him she had “compelling evidence” suggesting he was responsible for “the unauthorised disclosure” of information on discussions about Chinese telecoms manufacturer Huawei.
“The essential point here is that the prime minister has sacked the secretary of state for defense because she believes there is compelling evidence that he has committed a crime. But despite that she does not believe that he should face a criminal investigation. Where is the justice in that?” Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson asked in an urgent question in the House of Commons on the leak.
The NSC is the highest-level government body dealing with security issues, made up of Cabinet ministers and security chiefs. The leak concerned disagreements among ministers about the potential security dangers of allowing Huawei to provide kit for the U.K.’s 5G infrastructure.
“The prime minister believes that her former defense secretary leaked information from the National Security Council. He vehemently denies it. Only one of these accounts is accurate,” he said, adding that the leak was “indicative of the malaise and sickness at the heart of this ailing government. Whether he is guilty or not should be a question for the criminal justice system.”