Minister for ‘no deal’ expected as reshuffle aims to refresh party
Theresa May is expected to name a “Minister for a No Deal Brexit” today as part of a Cabinet reshuffle focused on refreshing the Conservative Party campaign machinery.
However, the Prime Minister’s authority appeared to be undermined last night after Education Secretary Justine Greening refused to be moved to a different department after three hours of talks in Downing Street, and resigned from government. She will be replaced by Damian Hinds.
Immigration minister Brandon Lewis was named chairman of the Conservative Par- 0 Sir Patrick Mcloughlin quit as party chairman ty,withanmpfromthe 2015 intake, James Cleverly, appointed as his deputy tasked with turning around the decline in grassroots party membership and reconnecting with young voters.
A group of newer MPS
have also been drafted in to Conservative Party HQ to boost its resources.
David Lidington has been named Minister for the Cabinet Office, and will replace Damian Green as the government’s lead minister in Brexit talks with devolved administrations.
However, while Downing Street said Mr Lidington would stand in for the Prime Minister at PMQS, he has not been given the formal title of First Secretary of State, a role which effectively gave Mr Green the role of deputy Prime Minister.
Mr Green was forced to resign last month after admitting he lied over allegations that pornographic material was found on his Commons computer during a police raid in 2008.
Last night David Gauke was shifted from his role as secretary of state for the Department of Work and Pensions to replace Mr Lidington as justice secretary.
In an otherwise limited reshuffle, most of the senior figures in Cabinet remained in their current roles. In a change to their official titles to reflect government priorities, Jeremy Hunt is now health and social care secretary, while Sajid Javid has become housing, communities and local government secretary.
It was reported that one of the junior ministers in the Department for Exiting the EU will be given responsibility for getting the UK ready in case talks in Brussels fail to reach a deal, and could attend Cabinet alongside Brexit Secretary David Davis. Junior ministerial appointments will continue into a second day today.
Mrs May was expected to sack as many as six members of her Cabinet, with business secretary Greg Clark and Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom thought to be vulnerable as the Prime Minister seeks to assert her authority. However, Mr Clark’s reappointment was confirmed after spending an hour in Number 10.
Sir Patrick Mcloughlin has stood down as party chairman. He was tipped to pay the price for the party’s failure at last year’s snap general election. David Mundell remains Secretary of State for Scotland, and Alun Cairns stays on as Secretary of State for Wales.
Culture Secretary Karen Bradley has been moved to the Northern Ireland Office after James Brokenshire resigned on health grounds. Mr Brokenshire said a forthcoming surgery to remove a lesion from his right lung would mean he could not give the “effort, energy and complete focus” needed for the role. Talks to reinstate the collapsed Stormont power-sharing assembly have so far failed to reach an agreement after almost a year.