Affair scandal Tory joked: 'When in Israel I really liked your female defence forces'
Get politics updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Tory defence secretary Gavin Williamson is at the centre of a sexism storm - after delivering a speech in which he made an inappropriate jibe about women in the Israeli army.
Mr Williamson’s political future was in doubt tonight after the prime minister repeatedly declined to say she believed he told her the truth about why he left a fireplace firm after a reported affair with a colleague.
Mr Williamson said he almost threw away his family after a “flirtatious” relationship - but denied suggestions of harassment.
Speaking to reporters during her trip to China, Theresa May was asked whether she was confident Williamson had told her the whole truth about his departure from the firm.
(Image: Getty)
The prime minister said: “Gavin has told people about something that happened before he became a member of parliament, let alone became a minister.”
But the Mirror can reveal that the defence secretary, who has been tipped as a future leader, stunned guests at reception in Westminster for the Conservative Friends of Israel group as he recalled his only visit to the Jewish state as a teenager.
To a mix of laughter and shock, Mr Williamson, who was promoted to Defence Secretary by Theresa May, told the audience that his visit to Israel had left him very impressed by “your female defence forces.”
Later one guest at the CFI reception on Tuesday evening suggested it had been “unwise, to say the least” for Mr Williamson to make the joke while he faced questions about his account of an affair with a former colleague with a married former colleague in 2004 that almost cost him his marriage.
(Image: PA)
Another attendee at the annual CFI event said: “Some people found Mr Williamson’s reference to female Israeli soldiers funny.
“But many found the attempt at telling a joke on this matter awkward and in bad taste.”
The reception, attended by many MPs and peers, including the veteran Europhile Ken Clarke, the former Chancellor, was addressed by the CFI parliamentary chair, Stephen Crabb MP, and Israeli ambassador Mark Regev.
A friend of Mr Williamson said: “This was a light-hearted story from when he was 13-years-old. It prompted a lot of laughter and simply showed he was once a teenage boy.”