If Theresa May thinks the Gavin Williamson row will blow over, she’s kidding herself

Having sacked Gavin Williamson in the most abrupt and even brutal manner possible, Theresa May apparently “considers the matter closed”. Today in the Commons, MPs were in uproar. Some demanded a criminal investigation. Others – including several Tories – protested that the former Defence Secretary was the victim of a “kangaroo court”. Labour’s Tom Watson, intriguingly, began by denouncing the leak as “a fundamental breach of duty” – but then criticised the decision to let Huawei help build the UK’s 5G network. “Our [international] partners are so concerned,” he scowled, “that they’re considering whether they can safely continue to share intelligence with us.” Yet Mr Watson wouldn’t have known about the Huawei decision if it hadn’t been for the leak. In his eyes, it seems, the leaker was simultaneously endangering national security and defending it. Mr Williamson himself was absent, as indeed was Mrs May. Speaking on the Prime Minister’s behalf was David Lidington, the Minister for the Cabinet Office. Mr Lidington is often deployed when the House is fractious, probably because his manner is so cool and soothing. He’s calamine lotion in human form.