Ben Wallace appointed security minster by Theresa May two weeks after threatening to castrate Michael Gove

The former campaign manager for Boris Johnson also said Mr Gove has an 'emotional need to gossip, particularly when drink is taken'

Alexandra Sims
Sunday 17 July 2016 12:52 BST
Comments
Minister of State for Security at the Home Office, Ben Wallace
Minister of State for Security at the Home Office, Ben Wallace (Facebook)

A former campaign manager for Boris Johnson who claimed Michael Gove was “unfit” to be Prime Minster has been appointed Security Minister as Theresa May finalised her new government with a string of junior ministerial appointments.

The Prime Minister announced 69 junior government and whips roles on Sunday morning, including Ben Wallace, the MP for Wyre and Preston North who led Mr Johnson’s campaign for Conservative leader, as Minister of State for Security at the Home Office.

In a biting attack over Twitter earlier this month, Mr Wallace jokingly threatened to castrate the former justice secretary in a wry reference to the hit TV series Game of Thrones.

Following comments made by Mr Gove expressing an affinity with the series’ character Tyrion Lannister, The Times’ Sam Cotes asked Twitter users which GoT character they thought Mr Gove had “become” after announcing his entrance into the Conservative leadership contest.

Mr Wallace responded: “He is actually Theon Greyjoy or will be by the time I am finished with him” - referring to a character who is castrated during the course of the series.

Mr Wallace has also denounced Mr Gove as untrustworthy, saying things “started to go wrong” when he joined Mr Johnson's leadership campaign as well as accusing him of leaking stories to the press, “particularly when drink is taken“.

Writing in the Telegraph he said: “For me this wasn’t new. When I was a government whip and Michael was the chief whip, the office leaked like a sieve.

“Important policy and personnel details made their way to the papers. Michael seems to have an emotional need to gossip, particularly when drink is taken, as it all too often seemed to be.

"UK citizens deserve to know that when they go to sleep at night their secrets and their nation’s secrets aren’t shared in the newspaper column of the prime minister’s wife the next day, or traded away with newspaper proprietors over fine wine."

Mr Gove shocked fellow Conservatives by announcing his decision to stand in the party leadership race in June. He had been expected to back Mr Johnson, becoming an ally to the former London mayor during the lead-up to the EU referendum on 23 June.

Mr Gove was sacked as Justice Secretary during Ms May’s appointment of ministers to her new administration. He was eliminated from the Conservative party leadership contest in the second round of voting by backbench Tory MPs.

Sunday’s reshuffle saw a number of Conservatives retain their posts, including welfare reform minister Lord Freud and the schools minister Lord Nash.

In one of the more high-profile appointments, Sir Alan Duncan was announced as Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office,returning to government after being removed in 2014.

A Remain supporter, he previously mocked Mr Johnson's credentials to be the next Prime Minister while referencing former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi during Prime Minister's Questions.

The full list of junior ministerial positions confirmed on Sunday:

Ben Wallace MP as Minister of State for Security at the Home Office

Baroness Williams of Trafford as Minister of State at the Home Office

Sir Alan Duncan MP as Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Baroness Anelay of St Johns as Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development

Earl Howe as Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords

Nick Gibb as Minister of State at the Department for Education

Edward Timpson as Minister of State at the Department for Education

Robert Halfon as Minister of State at the Department for Education

David Jones as Minister of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union

Baroness Neville-Rolfe as Minister of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Lord Freud as Minister of State for Welfare Reform at the Department for Work and Pensions

Gavin Barwell as Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Minister for London at the Department for Communities and Local Government

George Eustice as Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Rory Stewart as Minister of State at the Department for International Development

Simon Kirby as Economic Secretary at HM Treasury

Lord O'Neill of Gatley as Commercial Secretary at HM Treasury

Sarah Newton as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office

Baroness Shields as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Tobias Ellwood as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Alok Sharma as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Mark Lancaster as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence

Harriett Baldwin as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence

Sam Gyimah as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice

Phillip Lee as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice

Lord Nash as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education

Caroline Dinenage as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education

Lord Bridges of Headley as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union

Robin Walker as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union

Mark Garnier as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for International Trade

Margot James as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Nicola Blackwood as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health

David Mowat as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health

Lord Prior of Brampton as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health

Caroline Nokes as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions

Richard Harrington as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions

Paul Maynard as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport

Andrew Jones as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport

Andrew Percy as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government

Marcus Jones as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Wales Office

Michael Ellis as Deputy Leader of the House of Commons (and Assistant Whip)

Lord Dunlop as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Scotland Office and the Northern Ireland Office

Guto Bebb as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Wales Office (and Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury))

Kris Hopkins as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office

Therese Coffey as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Lord Gardiner of Kimble as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

James Wharton as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for International Development

Chris Skidmore as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Cabinet Office

Tracey Crouch as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Rob Wilson as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Lord Ashton of Hyde as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (and a Lord in Waiting)

Robert Buckland - Solicitor General

Lord Keen of Elie - Advocate General for Scotland

Rt Hon Anne Milton - Deputy Chief Whip (Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip)

Mel Stride - Government Whip (Comptroller of HM Household)

Julian Smith - Government Whip (Vice Chamberlain of HM Household)

Rt Hon David Evennett - Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury)

Stephen Barclay - Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury)

Guy Opperman - Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury)

Robert Syms - Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury)

Andrew Griffiths - Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury)

Jackie Doyle-Price - Assistant Government Whip

Graham Stuart - Assistant Government Whip

Heather Wheeler - Assistant Government Whip

Chris Heaton-Harris - Assistant Government Whip

Mark Spencer - Assistant Government Whip

Christopher Pincher - Assistant Government Whip

Steve Brine - Assistant Government Whip

Rt Hon Lord Taylor of Holbeach - Lords Chief Whip (Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms)

Earl of Courtown - Deputy Chief Whip (Captain of The Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard )

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen - Baroness in Waiting

Baroness Goldie - Baroness in Waiting

Baroness Mobarik - Baroness in Waiting

Other appointments were:

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen as spokesperson on Cabinet Office business in the House of Lords

George Hollingbery as the Prime Minister's Parliamentary Private Secretary

The following ministers have left the government:

Mark Francois - appointed by the Prime Minister to conduct a review into the use of reserves in the Army.

George Freeman - appointed as Chair of the Prime Minister's Policy Board

Sir Desmond Swayne

Hugo Swire

Julian Brazier

James Duddridge

Charlie Elphicke

John Penrose

Andrew Selous

Justin Tomlinson

Baroness Verma

Additional reporting by PA

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in