Boris in Cameron Cabinet as PM finalises team
The PM announces further additions to his top team, including former banker Sajid Javid who becomes Business Secretary.
Boris Johnson has been included in David Cameron’s Cabinet, while a number of women MPs have been given top roles in the final line-up.
Mr Cameron announced Mr Johnson, who was elected MP for Uxbridge last week, would be attending Cabinet – but he does not have a ministerial role so he can devote his attention to his final year as Mayor of London.
Former banker and previous Culture Secretary Sajid Javid has been given the role of Business Secretary, a role vacated by Liberal Democrat Vince Cable, who held the post for five years and has lost his Twickenham seat.
Mr Javid is replaced as Culture Secretary by John Whittingdale, who will deal with the renewal of the BBC charter, which covers how the organisation is funded.
In October, Mr Whittingdale said the licence fee was “worse than the Poll Tax” and said it was “unsustainable over 20 to 50 years”.
British Prime Minister David Cameron (C) poses for a group photo with newly-elected Conservative MPs at the Houses of Parliament in central London
David Cameron stands closest to MPs who ousted Ed Balls and Vince Cable
Following the news of his appointment, the BBC press office retweeted a post detailing his voting record on gay marriage and hunting.
He told Sky News he had not seen the post and that he was “looking forward to working with the BBC”.
Grant Shapps is no longer party chairman; he has been moved to the Department for International Development, where he will be Minister of State.
He has been replaced as chairman by Lord Feldman. In the role Mr Shapps was in charge of the party machine and overseeing Conservative Central Office. Given the party’s electoral success, the move will surprise some.
However, it has been reported that senior Tories urged Mr Cameron to sack Mr Shapps, who caused controversy when he was accused of anonymously editing his own Wikipedia entry and those of other Conservative politicians.
Mr Shapps dismissed the claims as “bonkers”.
A number of women MPs were rewarded with greater roles as the Prime Minister moved towards his target that would see a third of the Cabinet made up of women.
The first was Amber Rudd, who has been made Secretary for Energy and Climate Change – a role previously held by Liberal Democrat Ed Davey, who lost his seat.
Priti Patel has been given the role Employment Minister, the role that had been held by the Conservative MP Esther McVey, who lost her seat.
Another woman to attend Cabinet will be Anna Soubry, who has been made Small Business Minister.
Other Cabinet announcements include:
:: Eric Pickles has been pushed from his role as Communities Secretary and has been made anti-corruption tsar. He is replaced by Greg Clark.
:: Jeremy Hunt keeps his health brief, Liz Truss remains Environment Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin continues as Transport Secretary and Justine Greening as International Development Secretary.
:: Theresa Villiers stays as Northern Ireland Secretary and Stephen Crabb remains for Wales.
:: Matt Hancock has taken over from Francis Maude as Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, while Oliver Letwin remains Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in overall charge of the Cabinet Office but is promoted to a member of the Cabinet.
:: Greg Hands joins George Osborne at the Treasury, taking over the role of Chief Secretary, which was previously in the hands of Lib Dem Danny Alexander.
:: Penny Mordaunt has been appointed Armed Forces Minister, the first woman to hold the role. Mark Francois moves to the Department for Communities and Local Government as minister of state as a result.
:: Boris Johnson’s younger brother, Jo, becomes Universities and Science Minister, John Hayes is now a Security Minister, Alistair Burt is Minister of State at the Department of Health, while Philip Dunne is promoted to Defence Procurement Minister at the Ministry of Defence.
Mr Cameron also announced Robert Halfon would become Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party. It has not yet been announced whether Grant Shapps will remain party chairman.
The Prime Minister also addressed Conservative backbenchers at a meeting of the powerful 1922 Committee.
He was greeted with applause, joking with journalists outside that he was going to sue YouGov for the polling which showed it was neck and neck.
Mr Cameron said he had three priorities: to make sure the Conservatives are the party of the “working people”, to implement health and welfare reforms and to bring the UK together – a response to the rise of the SNP.
Despite his win, Mr Cameron will have to govern with a wafer-thin majority so will need to keep his backbenchers in line.
He left the meeting after 42 minutes and said: “I think that went OK.”
Boris Johnson described the meeting as “orgiastic”.
Mr Cameron announced on Sunday that Iain Duncan Smith will remain in charge of the Government’s welfare reforms as Work and Pensions Secretary.
He is one of a number of senior Conservative MPs who have kept their jobs in the Cabinet, including Mr Osborne, Home Secretary Theresa May, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan and Defence Secretary Michael Fallon.
Michael Gove was also restored to the top of government on Saturday as Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor.
For more on this story and video go to: http://news.sky.com/story/1481453/boris-in-cameron-cabinet-as-pm-finalises-team