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Michael Gove appointed environment secretary in cabinet reshuffle Michael Gove appointed environment secretary in cabinet reshuffle
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Michael Gove has made a shock return to government as Theresa May carried out a post-election reshuffle of her cabinet. Michael Gove has made a shock return to the cabinet as environment secretary after being sacked by Theresa May last year.
Downing Street said he had been appointed environment secretary, replacing Andrea Leadsom, who became the new leader of the Commons. Gove’s return to the cabinet was the main development of a muted reshuffle of May’s top team, noted for how many senior positions went unchanged. The former department secretary, Andrea Leadsom – May’s 2016 leadership rival – was shifted sideways to become leader of the House of Commons.
The former justice secretary was sacked by May last July in one of her first acts as prime minister after he effectively scuppered the Tory leadership hopes of Boris Johnson – his fellow Vote Leave campaigner – by withdrawing his support and announcing his own candidacy. His new role will mean the prominent Brexit campaigner has the difficult task of restructuring British agricultural subsidies for when the UK exits the EU. As education secretary, he attempted to remove global warming from the school curriculum – though he insisted the motivation was slimming down the syllabus and not an objection to the science.
Earlier, May appointed Damian Green, her close ally and longtime friend, as first secretary of state, as she kicked off a cabinet reshuffle aimed at shoring up her position in Downing Street. Gove’s return is a signal May is prepared to put their personal animosity behind her, sparked by a bitter row over the alleged infiltration of Birmingham schools by hardline Islamists. Gove’s allies at the Department for Education blamed the Home Office for the scandal, with May’s aides retaliating by publishing confidential cabinet correspondence attacking Gove.
The title implies that Green will be May’s number two, standing in for her at prime minister’s questions, for example. He will also be minister for the Cabinet Office – replacing Ben Gummer, who lost his Ipswich seat at last week’s general election. The path for Gove’s return to the frontline of politics will have been eased by the departure of May’s joint chiefs of staff, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, over the weekend.
May is rebuilding her team to replace ministers who lost their seats, and to underline the fact that she can form a working government despite losing her majority. As an advisor at the Home Office during the row, Hill was forced to resign by Downing Street for briefing against Gove. The then education secretary was demoted a short time later to chief whip, though he later returned under Cameron as justice secretary before being sacked by May after his abortive Tory leadership campaign.
David Gauke, widely considered a safe pair of hands, will be promoted from chief secretary to the Treasury to take over Green’s old job at the Department of Work and Pensions, responsible for implementing the rollout of the government’s welfare reforms. However, during his period on the backbenches, Gove has been keen to demonstrate approval for May, including tweeting his support after Thursday’s poor election result.
Liz Truss will take over from Gauke as chief secretary – a demotion from her previous post of justice secretary. Truss was criticised by senior judges for failing to defend the judiciary against the media backlash that followed the supreme court Brexit ruling, which led to headlines branding judges “enemies of the people”. Conservatives always put national interest first - vital the PM is given strong support for key Queen's Speech and Brexit talks
David Lidington is promoted to justice secretary. Lidington is a former Europe minister with good links across the Conservative party, who was previously the leader of the House of Commons. He holds a doctorate in history. May also appointed close ally and long-time friend Damian Green as first secretary of state in a bid to consolidate her control of government after a bruising weekend.
Jeremy Hunt stays as health secretary and Justine Greening keeps her job as education secretary, despite differences with May over her flagship policy to expand the number of grammar schools in England. Green will now effectively be May’s number two, standing in for her at prime minister’s questions as well as becoming minister for the Cabinet Office. He replaces Ben Gummer, who lost his Ipswich seat at last week’s general election.
Greg Clark, another ally, was confirmed in his post as business secretary, while prominent Brexiter Liam Fox will remain as secretary of state for international trade. Sajid Javid stays put at the Department of Communities and Local Government and Alun Cairns remains as Welsh secretary. May’s delicate position after an election campaign that left her with no majority and few allies put the brakes on any major overhaul, which ministers and their aides had been briefing ahead of the election.
Chris Grayling will remain transport minister and Gavin Williamson will remain chief whip. Priti Patel will also remain as international development secretary. James Brokenshire will remain Northern Ireland secretary and Karen Bradley will remain culture secretary. Patrick McLoughlin was appointed chairman of the Conservative party. Former justice secretary Liz Truss was one of the only high-profile ministers to lose her job, demoted to chief secretary to the Treasury. David Gauke was promoted from that role to Green’s old job at the Department for Work and Pensions, responsible for implementing the rollout of the government’s welfare reforms.
Five of the most senior figures in the cabinet – Boris Johnson, Michael Fallon, Philip Hammond, Amber Rudd and David Davis, were told on Friday that they would retain their posts. Truss was widely briefed to be on her way out of the Ministry of Justice after she was criticised by senior judges for failing to defend the judiciary against the media backlash that followed the supreme court Brexit ruling, which led to headlines branding judges “enemies of the people”.
May will have to face her MPs at a meeting of the backbench 1922 committee, expected to take place on Monday evening, with one senior Conservative saying she would have to give a “barnstorming” performance to hold on to her job. David Lidington, the former Europe minister whose last job was leader of the House of Commons, took Truss’s old job. Lidington stood in for May at prime minister’s questions during the last parliament, when May had no deputy or first secretary.
Instead of delivering the enhanced personal mandate the prime minister had hoped to win from the electorate, last week’s general election wiped out May’s majority and undermined her authority within her party. Both Lidington and Green were staunch supporters of the remain campaign during the EU referendum, with the latter a board member for the Stronger In campaign. Their appointments could be intended to send a signal that advocates for a softer Brexit will also have May’s ear.
She will try to govern with the support of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist party, which has 10 MPs at Westminster, but that will still leave her with a wafer-thin majority, heavily reliant on the backing of all her MPs. The prime minister confirmed on Friday night that her most senior cabinet ministers would remain in their posts, including the home secretary, Amber Rudd, the chancellor, Philip Hammond, the Brexit secretary, David Davis, the defence secretary, Michael Fallon, and Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary.
Many pro-Brexit MPs are supporting her, fearing that an alternative leader might take a less robust approach when talks with Brussels begin. On Sunday, cabinet ministers strolled up the path to Downing Street to be told for the most part that they would be staying in their old departments.
Crispin Blunt, a backbench MP who supported Brexit and chaired the foreign affairs committee in the last parliament, called for his party to exercise “huge discipline” – and delay thinking about the leadership until Brexit negotiations are over. Jeremy Hunt continues as health secretary and Justine Greening keeps her job as education secretary, despite differences with May over her flagship policy to expand the number of grammar schools in England. Patrick McLoughlin was also reconfirmed as Conservative party chairman and chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
“The electorate has dealt us a rather tricky hand. What we have got to do is hold her in position. We’re probably going to have to boost her confidence, which will have taken a knock. We have got a job to do for the next two years,” he said. Greg Clark, another ally, was confirmed in his post as business secretary and Liam Fox will remain as secretary of state for international trade. Priti Patel will remain as international development secretary, Karen Bradley at culture, media and sport and Sajid Javid stays put at the Department of Communities and Local Government, though he had been widely tipped to be on his way out.
Blunt added: “I would have thought the time to return to the leadership question is after Brexit is delivered. We are in a very precarious position as a country, and as a party.” There was no change either for Alun Cairns as Welsh secretary, Chris Grayling at transport and Gavin Williamson as chief whip. Williamson has been in Belfast conducting negotiations with the Democratic Unionists on supporting a minority Conservative government.
May is seeking a confidence and supply arrangement with the DUP – a looser arrangement than a formal coalition, which would lead to the Northern Irish party backing the Conservatives on major votes. James Brokenshire remains at the Northern Ireland office, with the difficult prospect of returning to the negotiations over the Northern Ireland assembly, while the government depends on the DUP for support in the House of Commons.
Some senior Tories have expressed concerns about any linkup with the socially conservative DUP, among them the Scottish leader, Ruth Davidson, who led the party to a strong performance north of the border. Others who will remain in post include Brandon Lewis as Home Office minister, though he will now attend cabinet, Natalie Evans as leader of the House of Lords and Jeremy Wright as attorney general.
May’s two most senior advisers, Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, both resigned on Saturday, with senior ministers blaming them for the manifesto – which had few giveaways to tempt wavering voters – and for the controlling management style in No 10. Five of the most senior figures in the cabinet – Johnson, Fallon, Hammond, Rudd and Davis, were told on Friday that they would retain their posts.
Another key appointment announced over the weekend was Gavin Barwell, the former Conservative MP who lost his Croydon Central seat on Thursday. He will become May’s new chief of staff after Timothy and Hill both resigned on Saturday, with senior ministers blaming them for the party’s unpopular manifesto and for the controlling management style in No 10.