PM’s ‘talent’ reshuffle brings return for Gove
THERESA May has pledged to work with “talent” from across the Conservative Party, as she brought back former justice secretary Michael Gove in a shock return to the Government ranks.
Less than a year after sacking him, the Prime Minister said that Mr Gove would be the new Environment Secretary, as she carried out a limited reshuffle of her top team.
The appointment will be seen as an attempt to shore up her position after last week’s calamitous General Election result saw her Commons majority wiped out.
In other moves, she promoted Damian Green, one of her closest Cabinet allies, to First Minister of State – a title associated in the past with the role of deputy prime minister.
But, in what was being seen as a sign of her weakness, nearly all the rest of the Cabinet remained in their current posts.
Speaking to reporters in No 10, Mrs May said: “What I’ve done today is seen people from across the party accepting the invitation to be in my Cabinet and crucially I have brought in talent from across the whole of the Conservative Party.
“I said during the election campaign that if re-elected I would intend to serve a full term. But what I’m doing now is actually getting on with the immediate job. But I think that’s what’s important, I think that’s what the public would expect.”
Barry-born Damian Green, who was the work and pensions secretary, becomes First Secretary of State – a title held by William Hague under David Cameron – as well as Minister for the Cabinet Office.
In other moves, David Gauke, who was the Treasury chief secretary and has long been regarded as one of the Government’s strongest performers, is promoted to take over at the Department for Work and Pensions.
David Lidington, the leader of the Commons, also gets a step up as the new Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary.
He replaces Liz Truss who becomes Treasury Chief Secretary “attending Cabinet”, in a move that will be seen as a demotion.
There had been speculation she could be axed altogether, following fierce criticism from the judiciary over her failure to speak out in support of judges who were criticised over the Article 50 High Court ruling.
The decision to keep her in the Government will again be seen as an indication of Mrs May’s weakness.
In a remarkable comeback, Michael Gove returned to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He fought, and lost, to Mrs May in last year’s Tory leadership battle. The former justice secretary dramatically ditched Boris Johnson’s candidature to run himself and then found himself frozen out in Mrs May’s first Cabinet last July.
The 49-year-old’s wife, journalist Sarah Vine, was forced to deny being power-hungry after an email blunder revealed she told him not to “concede any ground” to Mr Johnson.
The Prime Minister had already announced that her five most senior ministers – including Chancellor Philip Hammond and Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson – were carrying on in their current positions.
Mr Hammond in particular had been widely tipped for the chop in a post-election reshuffle and the announcement that he was carrying on at the Treasury underlined her limited room for manoeuvre.
A number of other ministers were confirmed in their existing positions, including Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns, the MP for Vale of Glamorgan; International Trade Secretary Liam Fox; Education Secretary Justine Greening; Communities Secretary Sajid Javid; Business Secretary Greg Clark; Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Karen Bradley and International Development Secretary Priti Patel.