Gavin Williamson: Tory Defence Secretary admits to 'kissing' trysts with married former colleague

MP says he 'almost threw away' family after 'flirtatious' relationship with co-worker

Gavin Williamson said he quit his job immediately after the romance with a co-worker (EPA)

Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, has confessed to having an office romance with a colleague around the time his first son was born, admitting he “nearly destroyed two marriages”.

The cabinet minister and future Tory leadership prospect said he made “a dreadful mistake” in kissing his co-worker on more than one occasion, but that his wife had forgiven him.

Mr Williamson said the “flirtatious” romance occurred in 2004, when he was working as a manager at fireplace manufacturer Elgin and Hall in Yorkshire. The pair “shared a kiss a couple of times” but the relationship “never went further”, he said.

He is understood to have told party officials about the infidelity when he stood to be an MP, and Downing Street is also said to have been made aware.

The disclosure now is likely to prompt speculation that the former Tory Chief Whip is seeking to ensure the fling is out in the open ahead of a possible future leadership bid.

The 41-year-old met his wife, Joanne, at sixth form college in Scarborough. They now have two children.

Mr Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, told the Daily Mail: “My family means everything to me and I almost threw it away.”

Describing how the romance with his co-worker began, he said: “Through work I often spent time away from home visiting customers. Sometimes, I would be accompanied by other employees.

“I had a good relationship with everyone I worked with, but with one person this started to develop into something more.

“We had to travel together and spent a lot of time in each other’s company, the relationship became flirtatious and a couple of times we shared a kiss.

“It never went further than that, but this had a profound impact on us both and those close to us. It was a dreadful mistake and stopped as suddenly as it had started.”

He said the liaison with his colleague “caused problems for her, as it did for me” and described telling his wife what had happened as “one of the most difficult conversations of my life”.

“I’ll never truly understand how she found it in her heart to forgive me, but I tell myself every day how lucky I am to be with such an amazing person,” he said.

Mr Williamson said he quit his job “immediately” after the incident because he felt continuing to work for the company “would remind me that I had let down the person I love more than anything”.

He added: “This incident nearly destroyed two marriages. It will always be part of my past, but has not stopped my wife and I from building a wonderful family together.

“Family will always be central to what I do and what I believe in. It was the experience of nearly losing mine that made me realise how much mine really matters to me.”

Mr Williamson took over as Defence Secretary in November after his predecessor, Sir Michael Fallon, was forced to resign amid allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards women.

After being elected in 2010, the South Staffordshire MP served as David Cameron’s parliamentary aide and was promoted to Chief Whip by Theresa May when she became Conservative leader in 2016, having previously managed her leadership campaign.