In the latest update to Theresa May’s fractured cabinet, Stephen Barclay has been named as the new Brexit Secretary, whilst Amber Rudd has taken the role of Work and Pensions Secretary, replacing the roles filled by resigned ministers Dominic Raab and Esther McVey.
Rudd was named Brexit Secretary on Friday afternoon, with Barclay’s position announced less than an hour afterwards.
Barclay, MP for North East Cambridgeshire since 2010, is a relatively unknown face. He was formerly Minister of State for Health. Barclay publicly supported leaving the EU in the 2016 referendum.
Rumours swirled on Thursday with regards to who would take the role vacated by Dominic Raab, who resigned on Thursday in protest against May’s Brexit deal. Pundits put money on Michael Gove as the favourite, after it was reported that Theresa May offered him the job on Thursday.
On Friday morning, after it was revealed Gove turned the role down, many believed that he would, in fact, be resigning in protest of the Brexit deal, though he announced on Friday afternoon that he ‘absolutely’ supported May, and would be staying on in the government.
Amber Rudd returns to Theresa May’s cabinet after resigning earlier this year from her role as Home Secretary, after the Windrush scandal, in which she admitted to misleading Parliament over targets for removing illegal immigrants.
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