Tory reshuffle: reactions and what we know so far

The Tory reshuffle has moved into its second day. Here’s the latest on May’s cabinet.

Dominic Raab has been made Housing Minister. He was previously justice minister. Raab is well-known for claiming last year that  “the typical user of a food bank is not someone who’s languishing in poverty, it’s someone who has a cashflow problem episodically.”

Labour minister Andrew Gwynne, at the time lambasted Raab’s comments saying “Instead of criticising people who rely on food banks, the next Labour government will tackle the real reasons why more and more people need to use them.”

Emma Dent Coad, the Labour MP for Kensington – the constituency in which the Grenfell Tower fire occurred, criticised the decision.

https://twitter.com/emmadentcoad/status/950699574250831872

Thus far changes today have largely been sideways moves, with Jo Johnson – who was universities minister when Toby Young was appointed to the Office for Student last week before his resignation today – moved to transport. He has also become minister London. Alok Sharma, housing minister, has been moved to employment.

This reshuffle has been expected since she forced the resignation of her key ally Damian Green but few significant moves have taken place – with Justine Greening quitting the government after she refused to move from education to work and pensions. Jeremy Hunt also refused to move to become business secretary and instead persuaded the PM to give him social care to add to his health brief.

Jon Trickett, Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, lambasted the Prime Minister as “leading a failing government”. He said “By simply rearranging the deckchairs in her reshuffle, Theresa May has shown that her floundering Government is out of fresh ideas. It takes more than re-naming departments to erase seven years of failure.”

Here’s the list of new appointments – and some of the reactions to them – so far:

Harriet Baldwin has been promoted to minister of state serving the Foreign Office and the Department for International Development. She was previously a junior minister in the Ministry of Defence.

Margot James has been promoted to minister of state at culture. She was a junior minister at business.

Rory Stewart has been moved to minister of justice, having previously been Africa minister.

Stephen Barclay has been promoted to a health and social care minister. He was a junior Treasury minister.

Caroline Dinenage has been promoted to minister of state at the department of health and social care. She was a junior minister at the DWP.

Sam Gyimah becomes universities minister, minister of state at the department for education and minister for higher education

Jo Johnson has become transport minister and minister for London. He was already universities minister,

Dominic Raab, has become housing minister. He was previously justice minister.

Alok Sharma, the housing minister, has been made employment minister.

Sajid Javid has become housing secretary. He was already communities secretary, but has added housing to his job.

Jeremy Hunt has been given social care to add to his brief as Health Secretary.

Karen Bradley has moved from Culture to become Northern Irish Secretary after James Brokenshire stepped down for health reasons.

Matt Hancock has been made culture secretary, he was minister for digital in the same department.

David Gauke has been made justice secretary and lord chancellor. He was previously work and pensions secretary.

David Lidington is made Cabinet Office minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He is therefore Damian Green’s replacement in this position but he has not also taken the position of first secretary of state, which is still vacant after Green’s resignation.

James Cleverly is made Conservative party deputy chairman.

Brandon Lewis is made Conservative party chairman, as well as becoming a minister without portfolio. Prior to this he was an immigration minister. This appointment has been criticised by Emma Dent Coad

https://twitter.com/emmadentcoad/status/950360828397735936

 

 

Maria Caulfield MP for Lewes has been made the CCHQ Vice Chair for Women. This has been criticised by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service who Tweeted that Caulfield supports the criminalisation of women who end their own pregnancies.

Dawn Butler MP also criticised the appointment