Stephen Barclay replaces Raab as Brexit secretary, as Amber Rudd returns to government as work and pensions secretary
Stephen Barclay has been confirmed as the new Brexit secretary, while former Home secretary Amber Rudd has been appointed as the Work and Pensions secretary.
Barclay, the MP for North East Cambridgeshire, was previously a minister at the Department for Health and Social Care. He takes over from Dominic Raab, who quit his role yesterday over the Prime Minister's Brexit deal in a string of resignations that threatened to topple Theresa May’s premiership.
Meanwhile Rudd will replace Esther McVey, who resigned shortly after Raab yesterday morning. Rudd, who resigned over “inadvertently” misleading MPs over the Windrush scandal earlier this year, is returning to May’s cabinet following a flurry of resignations that started with transport minister Jo Johnson last week.
A day after May won cabinet support for her Brexit deal following a five-hour marathon meeting, six other MPs and officials alongside Raab and McVey.
Environment secretary Michael Gove had been reportedly considered for the Brexit secretary role, but this morning confirmed he would be remaining at his post in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. International trade secretary Liam Fox vouched for the Prime Minister similarly.
Today, the amount of MPs who have publicly admitted to submitting letters of no confidence to Tory party chairman Sir Graham Brady reached 22, including Brexiter Jacob Rees-Mogg and Chris Green.