Might he go to jail too? Piers Morgan tears into Gavin Williamson's sacking over Huawei leak

TV host Piers Morgan has wondered what fate awaits ex-Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, who was sacked over leaks from a meeting about Huawei. Will he go to jail for exposing national secrets? Or should he be praised instead?

Williamson was fired on Wednesday by PM Theresa May, who claimed he was the culprit behind the leak, which rocked the UK a week ago. The Daily Telegraph published data from the National Security Council meeting during which the ministers agreed to grant the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei limited access to the development of the British 5G network.

Morgan found both the revelation -and May's resolve to actually do something about it- quite astounding, and wondered what awaits Williamson next; jail time, or was a sacking for divulging top secrets enough?

Morgan's subscribers, however, were not quite eager to throw the disgraced minister behind bars, with many of them insisting that he was actually worth praising ... as a whistleblower of sorts, who exposed May's arguably questionable actions.

Ironically, the whole Williamson affair unfolded the same day another whistleblower, Julian Assange, was jailed for 50 weeks for skipping bail back in 2012, in proceedings that eventually were closed. And now Assange faces possible extradition to the US, where he might ultimately face the death penalty.

Williamson himself, however, appears not quite eager to try on the laurels of a high-profile whistleblower. The ex-minister vehemently denied any involvement in the leak, issuing an entire letter on the matter.

Morgan, however, seemed to be quite skeptical about Williamson's denial, warning that a politician should not be trusted, even with such things.

Snapped: UK govt docs on Williamson reveal he remains on Privy Council, entrusted to keep secrets

Former UK Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson, who was fired for allegedly leaking information from the national security council, appears to have retained his role on the exclusive Privy Council, where he must keep secrets.

The parliamentary private secretary of Deputy Prime Minister David Lidington has been pictured holding what appears to be a government document outlining the current status of Williamson, and his retained privileges.

The document reveals that the gaffe-prone politician will remain a Privy Council member, despite being dismissed from the cabinet by May on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister asked Gavin Williamson to leave Government, having lost confidence in his ability to serve in the role of Defence Secretary and as a member of her Cabinet. This does not affect his Privy Council status.

The Privy Council is an advisory body to the British monarch, who at present is the Queen. The body approves changes to the governance of institutions that are incorporated by a Royal Charter.

It consists of around 650 past and present cabinet members as well as the leader of the official opposition.

What is particularly eye-catching when it comes to one of the responsibilities incumbent on members is to maintain an oath to "keep secret all matters... treated of in Council."

It comes as news emerged that Williamson will receive a payoff of around £17,000, despite being removed from government over the Huawei leak scandal, Downing Street has confirmed.

Williamson maintains his innocence. "I strenuously deny that I was in any way involved in this leak," Williamson wrote in a letter to May, following his dismissal.

Double standard? Expose NI police collusion, get arrested. Leak from NSC meeting? 'Closed matter'

Prominent British journalist Peter Oborne has said the case surrounding former UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson's firing exposes "revolting double standards" in how London deals with security breaches.

Williamson was fired by British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday after being pinpointed as the leaker from a National Security Council meeting about Chinese telecoms giant Huawei and its involvement in the UK's 5G network. Williamson has adamantly denied he is the leaker, but an investigation found "compelling evidence" that he was the culprit.

Oborne, who is the former political editor of the Daily Telegraph, was responding to a tweet by UK Times reporter Sean O'Neill which recalled that two Northern Ireland journalists were arrested last year under the UK's Official Secrets Act after they exposed British police collusion with loyalist gunmen who had opened fire in a Catholic pub in the village of Loughinisland in 1994, killing six people.

Journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey helped produce a film which named the alleged killers, who they claim are known to police, and offered strong evidence of collusion between the two. For their efforts, Birney and McCaffrey were arrested last August and about 100 officers raided their homes.

Both Amnesty International and the National Union of Journalists said the arrests put freedom of the press in NI at risk. Birney said at the time it was "highly ironic" that the UK foreign office was supposedly concerned about press freedom around the world, while "allowing one of its own British constabularies to arrest journalists" in "out of sight, out of mind" Northern Ireland.

Fast forward a year, however, and Williamson's alleged decision to leak information directly from a National Security Council meeting is being treated by London s a "closed matter" despite being a breach of the Official Secrets Act - and Williamson himself not being a journalist.

One tweeter wasn't surprised, however, saying that Downing Street still sees NI as "a colony in a hostile land" and any attempt to question what security services get up to there will be met with a more "dramatic response" than what a cabinet member might get up to in London.

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