Political Updates 10th September 2019

This week’s Political Updates covers moves and changes at all levels of government. 

UK Government

Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade Liz Truss has been appointed to the role of Minister for Women and Equalities following the resignation of Amber Rudd.

Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Zac Goldsmith will now attend Cabinet.

Chris Skidmore has been appointed Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation following the resignation of Jo Johnson.

Edward Argar has been appointed Minister of State at the Department of Health and Social Care (the position Skidmore left for his new position).

Chris Philp has been appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice (the position Argar left for his new position).

Rebecca Pow has been appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Helen Whately has been appointed Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (the position Pow left for her new position).

Amber Rudd has resigned from her role as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Thérèse Coffey has been appointed as the new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, following the resignation of Amber Rudd MP. Coffey was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment.

Jo Johnson has resigned from his role as Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation.

Caroline Rookes has been appointed interim Chair of the Pensions Ombudsman.

Michelle Donelan was appointed as an unpaid Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Education (Minister for Children and Families) while Kemi Badenoch is on maternity leave.

Margaret Edwards has been re-appointed as the Non-executive Chair of the Civil Service Pension Board.

Susannah Storey has taken up her role as Director-General of Digital and Media. She was previously Director-General at the Department for Exiting the European Union.

House of Commons

John Bercow has announced he will step down from his role of Speaker of the House of Commons either on 31 October or at the next election – whichever comes first.

Amber Rudd has resigned the Conservative Whip; she now stands as an independent.

Jo Johnson has announced he will not be standing for the seat of Orpington in the next election.

MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge Angela Smith has announced she has joined the Liberal Democrats. Smith was sitting as an Independent MP before the announcement she has previously sat for Labour and Change UK in the seat. Smith has been MP for the seat since 2010.

Luciana Berger – elected as Labour, sitting as an independent – has joined the Liberal Democrats.

Phillip Lee has left the Conservative Party and joined the Lib Dems.

John Mann, the Labour MP for Bassetlaw, has announced his resignation as an MP in order to concentrate on his role as the Government’s independent adviser on antisemitism.

Alistair Burt, Anne Milton, Antoinette Sandbach, Caroline Nokes, David Gauke, Dominic Grieve, Ed Vaizey, Greg Clark, Guto Bebb, Justine Greening, Ken Clarke, Margot James, Nicholas Soames, Oliver Letwin, Philip Hammond, Richard Benyon, Richard Harrington, Rory Stewart, Sam Gyimah, Stephen Hammond and Steve Brine have had the Conservative Whip removed and now sit as independents.

Christopher Pincher, Craig Whittaker and Mark Spencer have been dismissed from the Selection Committee and Rebecca Harris, Amanda Milling and Iain Stewart have been appointed as members.

House of Lords

Lord Palumbo (Conservative, life peer) retired on 2^nd September 2019.

Elaine Smith has replaced Rhoda Grant as the representative for Scottish Labour at Scottish Parliamentary Bureau.

Angela Constance and John Mason are no longer members of the Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee. Richard Lyle and Willie Coffey have joined.

Willie Coffey and Emma Harper have left the Finance and Constitution Committee and Gordon MacDonald and John Mason have joined.

Jackson Carlaw has resigned as a member of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body.

Gordon MacDonald has left the Education and Skills Committee and Gail Ross has joined.

Gail Ross has left the Equalities and Human Rights Committee and Angela Constance has joined.

Gail Ross has replaced Angus MacDonald as a member of the Public Petitions Committee.

Gail Ross and John Mason have left the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee and Angus MacDonald and Emma Harper have joined.

Alex Rowley has been appointed as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Brexit and the Constitution (previously Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government).

Claire Baker has been reappointed as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs.

Claudia Beamish has been reappointed as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform.

Colin Smith has been named Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Transport Connectivity (previously Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Connectivity and Transport).

David Stewart named as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for the Eradication of Poverty and Inequality.

Elaine Smith has been named Parliamentary Business Manager and Chief of Staff (previously Shadow Cabinet Secretary for the Eradication of Poverty and Inequality).

Iain Gray has been reappointed as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, Skills and Science.

James Kelly has been reappointed as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice (formerly Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance).

Monica Lennon has been reappointed as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport.

Pauline McNeill has been reappointed as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Equalities (formerly Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Equalities, Housing and Social Security).

Rhoda Grant has been appointed as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Jobs and Fair Work (previously Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy).

Richard Leonard has been reappointed Leader and Spokesperson for Finance, Economy and Fair Work.

Sarah Boyack has been named Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Local Government.