Theresa May appoints David Cameron's former policy chief as NHS minister in Lords reshuffle

Lord O'Shaughnessy is one of several Tories ennobled by David Cameron to get Government jobs

Political Correspondent

Wednesday 21 December 2016 13:33 GMT

There were a number of changes to the Government Lords front bench (Getty)

Theresa May has appointed David Cameron’s former Downing Street policy chief as a minister at the Department of Health.

Lord O'Shaughnessy, who advised the former Prime Minister from 2010 to 2011, will replace Lord Brampton as a minister for NHS Productivity.

After working for Mr Cameron, the new minister went on to work for Portland Communications as chief policy advisor.

He has been a vocal supporter of Michael Gove’s free market reforms to the schools system and also works for the Legatum Institute, a think tank that promotes international capitalism.

The promotion is part of a small reshuffle in the Government’s House of Lords front bench, which will also see Baroness Neville-Rolfe move from the business department to the Treasury, where she will be Commercial Secretary.

The changes see top Tories ennobled by David Cameron, including in his controversial resignation honours, promoted to the Government benches.

Baroness Vere, a former Tory candidate who failed to get elected in 2010 and who is a former director of the failed pro-EU Conservatives In campaign, will become a whip, as will Baroness Buscombe.

Lord Brampton himself will move to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

Show all 6

1/6The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

Brexit

The big one. Theresa May has spoken publicly three times since declaring her intent to stand in the Tory Leadership race, and each time she has said, ‘Brexit means Brexit.’ It sounds resolute, but it is helpful to her that Brexit is a made up word with no real meaning. She has said there will be ‘no second referendum’ and no re-entry in to the EU via the back door. But she, like the Leave campaign of which she was not a member, has pointedly not said with any precision what she thinks Brexit means

Reuters

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

General election

This is very much one to keep off the to do list. She said last week there would be ‘no general election’ at this time of great instability. But there have already been calls for one from opposition parties. The Fixed Term Parliaments Act of 2010 makes it far more difficult to call a snap general election, a difficulty she will be in no rush to overcome. In the event of a victory for Leadsom, who was not popular with her own parliamentary colleagues, an election might have been required, but May has the overwhelming backing of the parliamentary party

Getty

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

HS2

Macbeth has been quoted far too much in recent weeks, but it will be up to May to decide whether, with regard to the new high speed train link between London, Birmingham, the East Midlands and the north, ‘returning were as tedious as go o’er.’ Billions have already been spent. But the £55bn it will cost, at a bare minimum, must now be considered against the grim reality of significantly diminished public finances in the short to medium term at least. It is not scheduled to be completed until 2033, by which point it is not completely unreasonable to imagine a massive, driverless car-led transport revolution having rendered it redundant

EPA

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

Heathrow expansion

Or indeed Gatwick expansion. Or Boris Island, though that option is seems as finished as the man himself. The decision on where to expand aviation capacity in the south east has been delayed to the point of becoming a national embarrassment. A final decision was due in autumn. Whatever is decided, there will be vast opprobrium

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

Trident renewal

David Cameron indicated two days ago that there will be a Commons vote on renewing Britain’s nuclear deterrent on July 18th, by which point we now know, Ms May will be Prime Minister. The Labour Party is, to put it mildly, divided on the issue. This will be an early opportunity to maximise their embarrassment, and return to Tory business as usual

EPA

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

Scottish Independence

Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP are in no doubt that the Brexit vote provides the opportunity for a second independence referendum, in which they can emerge victorious. The Scottish Parliament at Holyrood has the authority to call a second referendum, but Ms May and the British Parliament are by no means automatically compelled to accept the result. She could argue it was settled in 2014

AFP/Getty

Lord Henley will take an additional role at the Department for Work and Pensions, replacing Lord Freud, the architect of Universal Credit who announced his retirement earlier this month.

Baroness Shields’ role in internet safety and security has become the sole responsibility of the Home Office, having previously been shared with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Additional reporting by PA

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Theresa May appoints David Cameron's former policy chief as NHS minister in Lords reshuffle

Lord O'Shaughnessy is one of several Tories ennobled by David Cameron to get Government jobs

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The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

Brexit

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

General election

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

HS2

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

Heathrow expansion

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

Trident renewal

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

Scottish Independence

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