‘It is unacceptable!’: Nick Ferrari callers weigh in on Gavin Williamson allegations after he resigns
9 November 2022, 13:58 | Updated: 9 November 2022, 14:05
Caller says her daughter overheard Nick Ferrari defend Sir Williamson
One caller said her nine-year-old daughter asked if it was “okay” for Gavin Williamson to allegedly tell a civil servant to “slit your throat” after hearing Nick Ferrari say it was understandable in a “high-pressure” job.
Callers to Nick Ferrari’s show at Breakfast on LBC said it was “unacceptable" for Gavin Williamson to allegedly tell a civil servant to “slit your throat” and “jump out of the window”.
The former Minister has now resigned after a formal complaint was made to the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS) and is now facing an investigation.
In a monologue earlier in his show, Nick said: “In a high-pressure job, telling someone ‘why don’t you jump out the window’, I really cannot see that much against it, because that is the pressure that’s there.”
Primary school teacher Becky in Bromley told Nick Ferrari: “I was driving to school when you said it is understandable for a politician to say that somebody should go and slit their own throat or jump out of a window.”
She continued: “Unfortunately for me, my nine-year-old daughter was in the car at the time and she said to me, ‘Mum, is that okay?’”
“We do need to have a standard in our government that is better than that, that is not okay!”, she firmly declared.
Nick asked: “Did you explain that these are people in high-pressure jobs, he’s not actually saying to jump out of a window…”
“Do you think that it is acceptable for me to say to my nine-year-old daughter that when you are under a certain amount of pressure and you are elected to government, it is then okay, it is understandable, for you to say that?”, the teacher retorted.
Nick said this would have been an opportunity for her to tell her daughter that “What that man said on the radio is wrong.”, and explained that Manchester United enjoyed “incredible success” under Sir Alex Ferguson, “who was known to run the players very hard”.
“In certain circumstances, that’s how people get results or get things done”, he said.
Read more: Gavin Williamson quits as Cabinet Office minister amid bullying allegations
Peter in Norwich said he works for a well-known social media company with “very high stakes, high pressure” but added "language and that sort of culture would not be acceptable” there.
“You’re likening it to a normal place, it is not a normal workplace”, Nick challenged.
“And maybe this is why they have so many problems at the moment, Nick - the culture they breed where people like you are saying it’s acceptable…[saying] it’s not a normal place, we can speak like this”, Peter countered.
“If it was more like the private sector…and they had a culture where people were more friendly and were able to get the best out of their employees, maybe we would see a different type of government and maybe more success in the government I believe”, he concluded.
Former special advisor to Gavin Williamson Angus Walker who worked with him for 18 months told Nick Ferrari that he was “kind, polite and well-mannered”, adding that the revelation of the allegations has been “quite shocking” and “deeply unpleasant” to him.
Caller says Gavin Williamson's comments are not acceptable
Twitter users also weighed in on the conversation:
If the pressure of your job causes you to bully people, you can’t handle the pressure. Get another job.
— The Met Skipper (@themetskipper) November 9, 2022
— Steve (@Stevenlong1985) November 9, 2022
Totally inappropriate
— Veronica Hill (@Veronic45342690) November 9, 2022
