CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Steve Barclay appointed as health secretary just hours after Sajid Javid’s resignation
STEVE Barclay has been appointed as health secretary just hours after Sajid Javid sensationally quit.
Mr Barclay was previously the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and chief of staff for Downing Street.
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The MP for North East Cambridge has held a number of roles in Government - including Chief Secretary to the Treasury when Boris Johnson became PM.
It comes after Mr Javid and Rishi Sunak both stepped down from the Cabinet tonight in a devastating hammer blow to Mr Johnson.
The Chancellor and Health Secretary dramatically wielded the knife as the PM reels from the fallout of the Chris Pincher scandal.
Their resignations came just minutes after Mr Johnson gave a grovelling apology for appointing the shamed MP to a top job.
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Downing Street was today forced to admit the PM was aware of complaints against Pincher when he made him deputy chief whip.
In his resignation letter, Mr Sunak said: "The public rightly expects government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously.
“I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning.”
Mr Sunak added that it was time for the public to "hear the truth".
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Meanwhile, Mr Javid demanded the PM throw in the towel for the good of the Conservative Party - and the country.
He said: "The vote of confidence last month showed that a large number of our colleagues agree. It was a moment for humility, grip and new direction.
"I regret to say, however, that it is clear to me that this situation will not change under your leadership - and you have therefore lost my confidence too."
A string of other Cabinet Ministers quickly confirmed they were sticking by the PM, who has fought multiple woes this past year.
And three PPS's - MPs serving in the lowest rung of government - have also stepped down from their posts tonight.
Mr Javid's right hand man and Tory rising star Saqib Bhatti said that "recent events have undermined trust and standards in public life".
And Jonathan Gullis, who served as a PPS to Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, said "for far too long we have been more focused on dealing with our reputational damage than delivering for the people of this country".
Nicola Richards, who served as PPS to the Department of Transport, also stepped down, saying the Conservative Party "is currently unrecognisable to me".
Ynys Mon MP Virginia Crosbie has also resigned as PPS to the Wales Office, writing "I have no idea what is happening at Downing Street but it appears you are badly advised" in a letter to the PM.
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Theo Clark, MP for Stafford, who has also quit her post as the PM's Trade Envoy to Kenya, said: "I think that we need to draw a line under the current debacle and get a grip on government on the public's behalf, as well as, most importantly, the country."
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MP Alex Chalk also bid farewell to his job as Solicitor General - a senior post one rung down from the Cabinet - saying his confidence in the government has "irretrievably broken down".
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