We're going to pause our live coverage now - but before we go here's a quick recap of a busy few hours:

• Gavin Williamson resigned as a government minister after a number of allegations of bullying made against him
• He quit shortly after an ex-civil servant made a formal complaint over him allegedly telling them to "slit your throat", as first reported by the Guardian
• In his resignation letter, Williamson rejected "the characterisation of these claims", but said they had become a distraction - and he vowed to clear his name
• He confirmed he will not take severance pay, saying the money should go towards "the government's priorities" like the NHS
• Prime Minister Rishi Sunak accepted Williamson's resignation "with great sadness"
• But opposition parties criticised the prime minister's decision to stick by Williamson
• Labour said the situation was a "damning reflection of a weak prime minister" while the SNP said Sunak faced "serious questions"

You can read our full story on his resignation here.

Today's updates were written by Adam Durbin and Thomas Mackintosh. The page was edited by Dulcie Lee.

Thanks for joining us.

Image source, Reuters

For anyone in need of a refresh, here's a quick timeline of the events leading up to Gavin Williamson's resignation:

25 October - Rishi Sunak becomes prime minister and reappoints Williamson as a minister.

5 November - The Sunday Times publishes expletive-laden messages sent by Williamson to then Tory chief whip Wendy Morton about invites to the Queen's funeral. He told the paper he regretted "getting frustrated about the way colleagues and I felt we were being treated".

6 November - Sunak describes the messages as "not acceptable or right" and insists he had not seen them before the Sunday Times published them, but he acknowledges he was "aware there was a disagreement between him and the former chief whip".

7 November - Downing Street says Sunak still has full confidence in Williamson. The Guardian later publishes claims he told a senior civil servant to "slit your throat" and "jump out of the window" while defence secretary. Williamson strongly rejects allegations of bullying.

Today - The number of investigations into Williamson's conduct grows, with Morton's case and the former defence official's referred to Parliament's complaints watchdog.

Later, Channel 4 News publishes an interview with former deputy chief whip under Gavin Williamson, Anne Milton, who claimed that his approach when he was chief whip was "unethical and immoral". The BBC has asked him for comment on this.

Shortly after 20:00 GMT, Williamson resigns, vowing to clear his name from "wrongdoing".

Image source, Reuters

Gavin Williamson's time as a Conservative MP has been characterised by a number of different scandals in recent years - but he has been widely seen as a political survivor, serving under four different prime ministers.

Here's a quick summary of his time in Parliament:

• Williamson began his parliamentary career as a ministerial aide to David Cameron, acting as the then-prime minister's bag carrier and eyes and ears at Westminster
• After Theresa May became prime minister, he was made chief whip, responsible for keeping MPs in line and enforcing party discipline
• His promotion to defence secretary in November 2017 came as a surprise to some within the Tory Party and the armed forces, given his lack of military background
• While in the job he won more funding for the military, but was sacked in May 2019 over accusations he had leaked sensitive national security documents, which he denied
• He returned to cabinet as education secretary in July the same year, when Boris Johnson became prime minister
• In the pandemic, Williamson was criticised for the chaos of the 2020 school exam period, with multiple U-turns over how to grade pupils after exams were cancelled
• Williamson was sacked as education secretary in September last year - and was brought back as a minister under Rishi Sunak last month

Read more from our political reporter Becky Morton here.

Questions remain over what Sunak knew whenpublished at 22:45 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2022

22:45 GMT 8 November 2022

Damian Grammaticas
Political correspondent

The really difficult question for Rishi Sunak tonight is that he knew there was a complaint against Gavin Williamson before he appointed him two weeks ago, but he had not enquired about the substance of it.

That's why opposition parties are trying saying there is little difference between the prime minister and his predecessors Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

So he will face questions about that, as well as more about Home Secretary Suella Braverman - who remains in the cabinet, but herself had to resign from Truss's cabinet days before Sunak brought her back.

Image source, EPA

Some more reaction now as opposition parties criticise Rishi Sunak over his handling of the allegations against Gavin Williamson.

Lib Dem MP Daisy Cooper makes reference to it not being the first time Williamson has been sacked - he was previously removed from roles as defence secretary and education secretary.

“This should be the third and final time Gavin Williamson is forced out,” she says.

"Rishi Sunak has serious questions to answer about why he appointed Gavin Williamson, then stood by him instead of sacking him."

The SNP's Kirsten Oswald says: "Rishi Sunak promised integrity, professionalism and accountability at the heart of his government - all of which has been trashed within weeks of taking office.

"The fact that Gavin Williamson was allowed to resign after a litany of scandals, rather than be sacked, speaks volumes of how toxic and broken this Tory government is."

In his resignation letter, Williamson said he wanted to "clear my name of any wrongdoing".

When an MP quits their ministerial role, they stay as a backbench MP, still representing their constituency and their party.

This includes keeping their MP salary of £84,144, external, as well as the other benefits and expenses that accompany the role.

They do lose their extra ministerial pay - the amount depends on the role they had.

In Williamson's case it appears to have been £31,680 as a minister of state, according to figures from the House of Commons library, external.

Because of this lost income, nearly all ministers who leave government are entitled to a severance payment, the library says.

But Williamson has just confirmed he won't be taking that.

In the last few moments Gavin Williamson has tweeted, external to quash any speculation that he will take thousands of pounds in severance pay.

"To dispel any speculation, I want to make it clear that I will not be taking any severance," he says.

"This is taxpayers’ money and it should go instead toward the government‘s priorities like reducing the NHS’s waiting lists."

Government ministers who leave office for any reason are generally entitled to severance pay, according to the House of Commons library.

Reacting to Williamson's resignation, Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner says the situation is a "damning reflection of a weak prime minister".

She criticises the PM's decision to reappoint Williamson and describes it as "yet another example of Rishi Sunak's poor judgment".

Image source, Reuters

In the last few days, allegations of bullying by Gavin Williamson have dominated news headlines.

These include:

A series of text messages by Williamson to Tory colleague and then-Chief Whip Wendy Morton which were published on Sunday., external In them, he appears to complain MPs not "favoured" by former Prime Minister Liz Truss were being excluded from attending the Queen's funeral.

Williamson reportedly warned Morton "not to push him about" and that "there is a price for everything".

Yesterday evening, it was reported by the Guardian , externalthat a senior civil servant accused Williamson of having bullied them, adding that he allegedly said to "slit your throat". He "strongly" rejected allegations of bullying.

This evening the Guardian reported further that the senior civil servant has referred Williamson to Parliament's independent complaints watchdog.

Finally, in an interview with Channel 4, former Tory MP Anne Milton - who was deputy chief whip from 2015 to 2017 - described his behaviour as "threatening" and "intimidating".

She claimed Williamson discussed MPs sexual preferences and said he "owned" one Tory MP who he'd given financial assistance to.

The BBC has reached out to Williamson for comment on Milton's allegations.

Losing a minister so early puts pressure on Sunakpublished at 21:30 Greenwich Mean Time 8 November 2022

21:30 GMT 8 November 2022

Jonathan Blake
Political correspondent

Losing a minister just a month into his administration is not a good look for the prime minister - especially when he kicked off his premiership promising a government of "integrity, professionalism and accountability".

The appointment of Gavin Williamson as a minister raised eyebrows across Westminster.

He is someone who divides opinion.

Some see him as an effective and ruthless operator, for others he is a liability.

His resignation relieves a bit of the pressure on Rishi Sunak – although some will say it was an error of judgement to appoint him in the first place.

We've just had the full text of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's letter accepting Gavin Williamson's resignation. Here it is:

Dear Gavin,

Thank you for your resignation letter.

It is with great sadness that I accept your resignation. I know your commitment to successive Conservative governments and the party over the years has been unwavering.

I support your decision to step back and understand why you have taken it.

I would like to thank you for your personal support and loyalty.

I know you will continue to represent your constituents with diligence and care.

I also want to express my gratitude for the work you have done for this government.

Warm regards,

Rishi Sunak

Accepting Williamson's resignation "with great sadness", Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says: "I would like to thank you for your personal support and loyalty."

Image source, Reuters

Gavin Williamson is a sometimes controversial figure, but if you're not an avid politics-watcher, you might not know why.

Here's a very quick guide to the now three-time former minister:

As a cabinet minister, he was one of the top 30 people running the country after returning to the government when Rishi Sunak took over as prime minister in October.

But he was not in charge of any specific department.

Instead, he was minister of state (minister without portfolio) - which means that instead of being in charge of something like defence or health, he was more of a general contributor to the running of government.

Williamson has also been fired from Conservative governments twice:

• first as defence secretary in May 2019 over allegations of leaking information from National Security Council meetings
• he later lost his job as education secretary in September 2021 after two years when Boris Johnson decided to reshuffle his cabinet.

Read more here.

Here is the full text of Gavin Williamson's resignation letter, which he posted to his Twitter account, external:

Dear Prime Minister,

As you know, there is an ongoing complaints process concerning text messages I sent to a colleague.

I am complying with this process and have apologised to the recipient for those messages.

Since then, there have been other allegations made about my past conduct.

I refute the characterisation of these claims, but I recognise these are becoming a distraction for the good work this government is doing for the British people.

I have therefore decided to step back from government so that I can comply fully with the complaints process that is underway and clear my name of any wrongdoing.

It is with real sadness that I tender my resignation, but I want to take this opportunity to offer my full and total support from the back benches. I am incredibly proud to have worked with you in government over the last few years and during the campaign.

The Rt Hon Sir Gavin Williamson CBE MP

Gavin Williamson has resigned from the government, following a series of bully allegations against him.

In his resignation letter, he refutes how his "past conduct" had been characterised, but says said the claims had become a distraction from the government's "good work".

Williamsons also says he will comply with a complaints process over messages he sent a colleague, and that he had apologised to the recipient.

Welcome to our live coverage, stick with us for the latest updates and analysis.