Sir Michael Fallon resigns as Defence Secretary

[90sWereBetter]

BBC
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has resigned following allegations of past behaviour.

He said his behaviour may have "fallen short" of the standards expected by the UK military and said it was right that Parliament was now taking this issue seriously.

The BBC understands his decision was not related to new or specific claims.

The PM said she appreciated the "serious manner" in which Sir Michael had considered his role.

Theresa May said she also appreciated the "particular example you wish to set servicemen and women and others".

'Below high standards'
In his resignation letter, Sir Michael said: "A number of allegations have surfaced about MPs in recent days, including some about my previous conduct.

"Many of these have been false but I accept that in the past I have fallen below the high standards that we require of the Armed Forces that I have the honour to represent."

He added that it had been a "privilege" to have been defence secretary over the past three and a half years.

In response Mrs May accepted his resignation and paid tribute to "a long and impressive ministerial career - serving in four Departments of State under four prime ministers".

The resignation comes a day after a spokesman for Sir Michael confirmed that he was once rebuked by a journalist, Julia Hartley-Brewer, for putting his hand on her knee during dinner in 2002.

The spokesman had said Sir Michael apologised when it happened.

Do I hear the sound of a dam about to burst here?

 

[Groningen]

Yes; this news has already northern Netherlands at 21.12. That #metoo thing gets larger and larger.

http://www.dvhn.nl/buitenland/Britse-minister-van-Defensie-neemt-ontslag-22625675.html

 

[Busaholic]

Do I hear the sound of a dam about to burst here?

I'd say 'probably not', in the same way that the Expenses Scandal actually led to very few prosecutions/convictions in the end. If every MP who did what Fallon has admitted to was to resign, then the objective to reduce the number of MPs from 650 to 600 would be more than met!

 

[Groningen]

Names of people with some kind of scandal i get from HIGNFY. One Jared O'Mara for example.

 

[kermit]

Good to hear about Michael Fallon - whenever I heard him interviewed he struck me as among the very worst of a bad lot. Unpleasantly Jingoistic.

 

[DarloRich]

hmmmmmmmmmmmm something off here.

 

[Hornet]

Imagine this happening in France. There would be nobody left in Government!

 

[HarleyDavidson]

I'm very split on this.

One half thinks that there's something more sinister about this and he's hiding something, whilst the other thinks that this is all going too far and is increasingly becoming a witch hunt.

 

[EM2]

From Robert Peston on Facebook:

Michael Fallon has resigned as defence secretary because he was aware that his behaviour with women over many years would be regarded as inappropriate if disclosed.

According to one of his friends, he found the stress of waiting for someone to make a complaint debilitating. And therefore - after a conversation with the prime minister this afternoon - he has quit.

He has said he wants to hold himself to the standards expected of the armed forces - for whom he is responsible. But several women Tory MPs say he fell short of the conduct they expect of all men.

In going expeditiously he has both helped and harmed the prime minister.

Those same women MPs admire her “decisive action”.

But she dare not do more tomorrow then replace him rather than start the more ambitious reshuffle her party wants and expects - because she does not yet know which others of her ministers and MPs will be fatally tainted by allegations of abusive or harassing behaviour.

 

[AlterEgo]

Very surprised to see Michael Fallon leave because of “conduct with women” - he seemed as dull as ditchwater to me!

 

[FQTV]

Very surprised to see Michael Fallon leave because of “conduct with women” - he seemed as dull as ditchwater to me!

Perhaps they're the ones that you have to watch.

"Nice peas, Norma."

 

[AlterEgo]

I passed Tobias Ellwood and David Davis separately outside Parliament today. They looked both miserable. They were heading towards Whitehall at about 0800 - bet they're going to have a fun day at work.

 

[DarloRich]

Fallon can not, surely, have resigned from a senior ministerial position for putting his hand on a reporters knee 10 or 15 years ago? That does not seem proportionate or worthy of a resignation.

I wonder if this departure will trigger a wider reshuffle although I guess that might come down to whether TM believes having the idiots inside the tent peeing out or outside the tent peeing in is more appealing!

 

[AlterEgo]

Fallon can not, surely, have resigned from a senior ministerial position for putting his hand on a reporters knee 10 or 15 years ago? That does not seem proportionate or worthy of a resignation.

He was apparently worried about more allegations coming to light.

It's difficult for me to see him as some sort of Weinstein or Spacey type person. One does wonder what he is trying to keep quiet.

If it's just for putting his hand on someone's knee, or using the word "slut" (he apparently called Bryony Gordon this) in relation to a discussion about her private life, then I'm shocked.

 

[DarloRich]

Gavin Williamson appointed to replace Fallon. He is the chief whip.

He was apparently worried about more allegations coming to light.

It's difficult for me to see him as some sort of Weinstein or Spacey type person. One does wonder what he is trying to keep quiet.

If it's just for putting his hand on someone's knee, or using the word "slut" (he apparently called Bryony Gordon this) in relation to a discussion about her private life, then I'm shocked.

There must be something much worse hidden somewhere. Surely.

 

[AM9]

Fallon goes and you get Esther McVay fed in as Deputy Chief Whip. Fair exchange is no robbery!

 

[Barn]

There must be something much worse hidden somewhere. Surely.

Possibly, but I think it is just as likely that there will have been fairly frequent knee touching episodes and neither he nor T-May want a succession of minor incidents to keep dripping through.

 

[Howardh]

Mixed feelings about all this - on the one hand it's getting to the situation where you dare not ask someone out for a drink in case it's deemed "inappropriate" - where the heck did we get that word from??, yet on the other you get the Commons trying to prevent us from watching videos on the internet (censorship) that they are getting up to every day with their colleagues, rent boys and so on it seems...so if they want us to be moral then they should all be whiter-than-white.

Deep down, if there's a cull of ministers then I hope the replacements are all pro-EU members.

 

[najaB]

Gavin Williamson appointed to replace Fallon. He is the chief whip.

I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover and all that, but really?

That isn't the face of someone I trust making decisions that potentially put our armed forces at risk.

 

[Darandio]

I'm staggered that he is 41.

 

[Howardh]

I'm staggered that he is 41.

In that photo his hair is a different colour above his ears....

 

[Darandio]

In that photo his hair is a different colour above his ears....

So is mine and has been since I was 27. It's the face I was referring to.

 

[najaB]

So is mine and has been since I was 27. It's the face I was referring to.

That's what caught my attention as well. You really want a Defence Secretary who looks like (s)he's seen some things that you wouldn't understand because "you weren't there. You just weren't there."

 

[Howardh]

"Falklands".

"Falklands?"

"Isn't that just outside Peterborough?"

 

[DarloRich]

I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover and all that, but really?

That isn't the face of someone I trust making decisions that potentially put our armed forces at risk.

Does his mam know he is out?

 

[bramling]

I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover and all that, but really?

An alternative expression for judging a book by its cover is prejudice...

 

[najaB]

An alternative expression for judging a book by its cover is prejudice...

Indeed it is (though normally that term refers judgements applied to a class of person, rather than an individual) and he may well be perfectly competent. But my 'Spider sense' went into overdrive when I saw the video of him walking to his new job.

 

[RichmondCommu]

I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover and all that, but really?

That isn't the face of someone I trust making decisions that potentially put our armed forces at risk.

Given the mess that the MOD is in at the moment many would argue that he couldn't do any worse.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Mixed feelings about all this - on the one hand it's getting to the situation where you dare not ask someone out for a drink in case it's deemed "inappropriate" - where the heck did we get that word from??.

It's not getting to that situation at all. There is a huge difference between asking a girl out on a date and groping a girl.

 

[AlterEgo]

As usual there are some completely innocent "allegations" being levelled. The Sun has a handy spreadsheet.

"Video exists of three males urinating on him."

"Takes his personal trainer to the cinema."

"Affair."

"Likes to have sex with men who are wearing women's perfume."

So what?

The women (yes, it is women who contribute to this closed WhatsApp group) who are conflating stuff like rape or sexual assault with incidents like "has sex with men" need to f*** off. It really makes me quite angry.