Rishi Sunak ally and former education secretary Gavin Williamson returns to Government
Williamson becomes a minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office
Sir Gavin Williamson is returning to Government, with the Rishi Sunak ally rewarded with a role in the Cabinet Office.
The former education secretary becomes a minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office, as the new Prime Minister picked out a new-look administration after taking over from Liz Truss.
Sir Gavin was education secretary from July 2019 until September 2021 and is remembered for overseeing the exams fiasco during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
Twice sacked as a Cabinet minister, he was seen as a key figure in the early stages of the Tory leadership campaign over the summer as Rishi Sunak sought to win over the support of MPs in his first attempt at becoming prime minister.
The new role could potentially give Sir Gavin, also a former defence secretary and chief whip, considerable influence in the heart of Government.
He is one of several eye-catching appointments made by Mr Sunak, as he seeks to unite all wings of his party after a fractious few weeks for the Conservatives.
During a lengthy career representing South Staffordshire, Sir Gavin was dumped as defence secretary following an inquiry into a leak from the National Security Council.
He returns to Government amid a furore over the reappointment of home secretary Suella Braverman, who resigned from the role six days ago for violating the ministerial code.
Ms Braverman said in a letter to then-prime minister Liz Truss that she “sent an official document from my personal email to a trusted parliamentary colleague as part of policy engagement, and with the aim of garnering support for government policy on migration”.
She said the document was a draft written ministerial statement on migration and that she reported the breach “as soon as I realised my mistake”.
On Wednesday it emerged Ms Braverman will not be investigated over the alleged security breaches.
A minister told parliament that even if Rishi Sunak appoints a new independent adviser, it would “not be proper” for them to probe “events in the last administration”.
The newly reappointed home secretary was accused of “running away” from an urgent question on her appointment during Prime Ministers Questions, leaving the House of Commons chamber minutes before it began.
There were shouts of “where is she?” from the opposition benches as Cabinet Office minister Jeremy Quin stood to answer questions on Wednesday afternoon.
He told MPs that it was the new prime minister’s “intention” to appoint a new Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests, after two resigned under Boris Johnson.