Mcvey appointed so-called Minister for Common Sense
ESTHER MCVEY returned to the Cabinet last night as the so-called “Minister for Common Sense”.
Announcing the move on Twitter, the Conservative Party said she would “stand up for working people.”
Ms Mcvey, 56, a former work and pensions secretary, was appointed to Mr Sunak’s top team as a minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office. The role is likely to give her a prominent role in the media ahead of the next general election, expected to be held next year.
A Whitehall source told The Sun that Ms Mcvey would be “leading the charge on the Government’s woke agenda, streamlining as a minister attending the Cabinet”. Her frontbench comeback will be seen as an olive branch to MPS on the Right of the party, amid concerns about a moderate turn after Mr Sunak sacked Suella Braverman.
In recent social media posts by Ms Mcvey, she railed against “vandalism” by Just Stop Oil protesters and question whether the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) was “up to the job” of regulating vaccine safety. In a column for the Express website last week, she also criticised Sir Mark Rowley for the Metropolitan Police’s handling of pro-palestinian protests in London.
Appearing to echo claims by Mrs Braverman that the Met favours certain groups of political demonstrations over others, she wrote: “Once upon a time policing was done without fear or favour, now it seems to be done based on who they fear and who they favour.”
Her appointment signals a new front in Mr Sunak’s efforts to deliver on a previous pledge to take on “woke nonsense” across British society.
During the 2022 Tory leadership contest, he criticised the Equality Act in its existing form and promised to stop “mission creep” across institutions.
“Our laws must protect free speech, block biological men from competing in women’s sport and ensure that children are allowed to be children,” he told supporters.
Ms Mcvey is married to Philip Davies, who is also a Conservative MP, and they have co-presented a weekly political programme on GB News since 2021.