brexit britain: may builds a new cabinet and a new … · brexit britain: may builds a new cabinet...

P A G E F L E I S H M A N H I L L A R D F I S H B U R N | B r i t a i n v o t e s t o l e a v e t h e E U 1

Brexit Britain: May builds a new Cabinet and a new Whitehall

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Theresa May completed her Cabinet appointments today after surprising the world by appointing Boris Johnson as Foreign Secretary. Brand new ministerial roles have been established in recognition that the Brexit and trade negotiations are the main priorities of the new Government. Departments have also been reshaped to fit the new reality which divide into an outward facing set of departments and a domestic facing policy agenda. Key Cameroons, George Osborne and Michael Gove have been consigned to the back benches, signalling the start of a distinctly Mayite era.

Brexiteers will lead the negotiations In an extremely canny move, all the key Brexit negotiating positions have now been filled by leading Brexiteers. Significantly, David Davis and Liam Fox take the lead on these aspects rather than Boris Johnson, though he is responsible for all aspects of foreign policy as well as MI6 and GCHQ. This move lays responsibility for devising a negotiating position for the UK squarely with those who argued for Britain to leave the EU and there have already been briefings from those around them that this should not be rushed, essentially allowing Mrs May to buy her government time before it officially triggers Article 50.

Restructuring Whitehall The new prime minister has wasted no time in reshaping Whitehall. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has lost responsibility for trade policy to the newly created Department for International Trade, led by Liam Fox. The portfolio of higher education and skills has reverted back to the education department, and the energy department has been folded into a new department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which will be headed by Greg Clark. The appointment of the former communities secretary is an indication of the priority Mrs May wants to place on creating what she described earlier in the week as a “proper industrial strategy to get the whole economy firing.” Another new department, labelled the Department for Brexit, is expected to move into the now defunct Energy Department’s building.

What does a Mayite government look like? As expected May has promoted a number of women, including Amber Rudd, Priti Patel and Andrea Leadsom, but she has still not achieved a Cabinet made up of 50 per cent women. Whilst the Cameroon modernisers have gone, a number of those who are on the centre right and occupy a socially liberal, fiscally conservative space, still retain positions including, Sajid Javid, Amber Rudd and even Boris Johnson, which suggests that agenda has not completely died. May’s first speech as Prime Minister outside Downing Street signalled her intention to stay squarely on the centre ground and appeal directly to working people. Maintaining this position in the headwind of the expected worsening of the economy and the political pressures which come with that will be difficult.

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Cabinet appointments

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Cabinet appointments:

• Theresa May - Prime Minister • Philip Hammond - Chancellor of the Exchequer • Boris Johnson – Foreign Secretary • Amber Rudd – Home Secretary • Liz Truss - Justice Secretary • David Davis – Exiting the European Union Secretary • Liam Fox- International Trade Secretary • Michael Fallon- Defence Secretary (*Remains in post) • Andrea Leadsom – Environment Secretary • Greg Clark - Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary • Jeremy Hunt – Health Secretary (*Remains in post) • Chris Grayling – Transport Secretary • Damian Green – Work and Pensions Secretary • Karen Bradley – Culture, Media and Sport Secretary • Sajid Javid - Communities and Local Government Secretary • Justine Greening – Education & Women and Equalities Secretary • James Brokenshire - Northern Ireland Secretary • Alun Cairns - Welsh Secretary (*Remains in post) • To be announced - Scottish Secretary • Priti Patel - International Development Secretary • To be announced - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of

Commons • Baroness Evans of Bowes Park - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

Also attends Cabinet: • Patrick McLoughlin - Conservative Party Chairman and Chancellor of the Duchy of

Lancaster • Gavin Williamson – Chief Whip • David Gauke – Chief Secretary to the Treasury



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Background • Member for Runnymede and Weybridge • Constituency majority: 22134 Career Highlights • Foreign Secretary (Jul 2014 – 2016) • Defence Secretary (Oct 2011 - Jul 2014) • Transport Secretary (May 2010 - Oct 2011) • Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Dec 2005 - Jul 2007) • Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury (May 2005 - Dec 2005, Jul 2007 - May 2010)

The Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP: Chancellor of the Exchequer

Biography Described by the Guardian as an “intelligent picador, able to penetrate Labour defences with sharp questions”, Hammond has grown to become one of his party’s most respected figures. A self-proclaimed Thatcherite, Mr Hammond first stood for Parliament with the aim of completing the economic reforms introduced in the 1980s and achieving “real social change”. As Defence Secretary, Mr Hammond garnered praise from Conservative backbenchers for his robust defence of his Department's budget in the face of potential spending cuts. Besides defence and transport, his political interests include economic policy, international trade, European Union, social security, housing and planning, energy and health. Hammond backed Theresa May for leadership in both voting rounds in the leadership contest to replace David Cameron. Appointments During 2010 General Election campaign, Mr Hammond’s role as Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury left him primarily responsible for identifying the £6bn of cuts promised by the Conservatives for their first year in office. His relinquishment of the role of Chief Secretary was reportedly one of the main concessions his party made in order to form the coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Following the formation of the Coalition Government in May 2010, Mr Hammond was appointed as Transport Secretary. After just over a year in this post, he moved to the Ministry of Defence following the resignation of the the Defence Secretary, Liam Fox. In July 2014, he was appointed Foreign Secretary, replacing William Hague, and was subsequently reappointed after the 2015 General Election. In July 2016 Mr Hammond was appointed Chancellor by Theresa May in her first appointment as Prime Minister. Mr Hammond served from 1997 to 1998 on the then Environment, Transport and the Regions Select Committee. Views on Brexit An opponent of Brexit, Hammond campaigned for the UK to remain in the EU. According to the media this morning Chancellor Philip Hammond has announced that there would be no Brexit budget, and an autumn statement would be delivered “The Prime Minister made clear we will do an autumn statement in the usual way – in the autumn – and we will look carefully over the summer at the situation. I’m seeing the Governor of the Bank of England this morning and we will take stock”, Mr Hammond said.



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Life before parliament Prior to entering politics, Mr Hammond had a long business career working in the medical equipment industry, and later worked on several consulting assignments for the World Bank in Africa and Asia. Personal life Mr Hammond graduated with a first in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from University College, Oxford. Married to Susan with three children, he enjoys reading, going to the cinema and hill-walking in Scotland. His personal wealth has been estimated at £9m.

The Rt Hon David Davis MP: Secretary of State for Exiting the EU

Background • Member for Haltemprice and Howden • Constituency majority: 16,195 Career Highlights • Shadow Home Secretary (Nov 2003 - Jun 2008) • Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice (also

Shadow Minister for London) (Jul 2002 - Nov 2003) • Minister of State (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) (Jul 1994 - May 1997)

Biography A veteran and often outspoken Parliamentarian, who has twice been defeated for the Conservative party leadership, David Davis has often drawn media attention for his approach to politics. After resigning from Parliament in protest at the Government’s proposals for terror detention, he stepped down from the Conservative front bench, and has been a backbencher ever since. A keen contender for the Conservative leadership, Mr Davis has twice fought for the position. Tipped as the bookies "red hot" favourite, he looked set to win the 2005 leadership contest. He came top in the first round of voting, and continued into the second round. However, after what many saw as an unimpressive Conference speech, David Cameron defeated him in the final vote of a party membership ballot. Davis initially pledged support for Boris Johnson, then subsequently backed Theresa May, following Johnson’s step down from the leadership bid. Appointments David Davis was appointed Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union in July 2016 by Theresa May. Prior to his retreat from the Shadow Cabinet to the backbenches, he was Shadow Home Secretary for five years, appointed by leader Michael Howard in 2003. His time as Shadow Home Secretary had been generally viewed as a great success, which made his 2008 resignation particularly surprising. Mr Davis prided himself on having ‘seen off’ several Home Secretaries. These included his dogged questioning of David Blunkett over the nanny visa scandal which culminated in his resignation in 2004 and his successor, Charles Clarke who was forced to resign in 2006 over the release of foreign prisoners.



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Serving as PPS in the Treasury to Francis Maude between 1988 and 1990 was how Mr Davis’s front bench career began. He was Assistant Government Whip between 1990 and 1993, a role that saw him charged with securing the passage of the Maastricht Treaty through Parliament in 1992. It is thought that the memory of this persuaded many Eurosceptics not to support him for the party leadership a decade later. However, he went on to secure a promotion, becoming Minister for Europe in 1994, a post he held until the election defeat in 1997. Chairing the Public Accounts Committee between 1997 and 2001, Mr Davis also sat on the Liaison Committee during the same period. In July 2014, Mr David was appointed Chair of a cross-party group of MPs, the Backbench Initiative on the Parliamentary Recall Bill. The group, drawing on 21 MPs from seven parties, had been put together to draft a beefed up bill to legislate for the power for constituents to recall their MP. It was established because some backbenches believed that the Government's proposals in that area did not go far enough. Views on Brexit A known eurosceptic, Mr Davis headed up the Grassroots Out campaign. He said: “Europe has become less democratic, less competitive and more dysfunctional. And Britain has become more side-line”. Newly appointed, Davis has announced that Article 50 should be triggered “before or by the beginning of next year“. On access to the Single Market, Mr David reportedly said that the ideal and "most likely outcome" was continued tariff-free access. Life before parliament Mr Davis spent 17 years rising through the ranks of Tate and Lyle to become managing director at the age of 39. Personal life Throughout his career he has been portrayed as an 'action man', following a stint in the Territorial Army's SAS. He is also an extreme sports enthusiast, taking part in parachute jumps, climbing mountains and flying light aircraft. He has

broken his nose three times, twice in sporting accidents, and once in a fight on London's Clapham Common.

The Rt Hon Liam Fox MP, Secretary of State for International Trade

Background • Member for North Somerset • Constituency majority: 23,099 Career Highlights • Secretary of State for Defence (May 2010 - Oct 2011) • Shadow Secretary of State for Defence (Dec 2005 - May 2010) • Shadow Secretary of State (Foreign Affairs) (May 2005 - Dec 2005) • Shadow Secretary of State for Health (Jun 1999 - Nov 2003) • Lord Commissioner (HM Treasury) (Whip) (Nov 1995 - Jul 1996

Biography A Eurosceptic and keen Atlanticist, foreign affairs and defence are among Dr Liam Fox’s keenest policy interests. He also lists health and economic policy as being of importance to him, and given his professional background, frequently speaks out on issues relating to the NHS. A twice contender for the leadership of the Conservative Party, Mr Fox lost out to David Cameron in 2005. He also ran to replace Mr Cameron in 2016.



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During his most recent bid in 2016, Dr Fox vowed to “paint an optimistic picture of our country”. He also ruled out membership of the Single Market, if it came with the condition of free movement of people attached to it. He promised to create a genuinely meritocratic society, help the poorest transform their lives, "obsession with the structures of health provision and focus more on making patients better" and preserve the Union with Scotland. Following an unsuccessful leadership bid, where Fox received the fewest number of votes, he switched to support Theresa May in the second round of voting. Appointments While Dr Fox has held a great number of frontbench positions during his career in politics, he is perhaps best known from his time as Defence Secretary for one year from 2010, having already served in the shadow role for five years. He resigned from that post in October 2011 after a week of intense pressure over his working relationship with friend and self-styled adviser Adam Werritty. His first notable position was as PPS to Michael Howard as Home Secretary from 1993 to 1994, before acting as a Treasury Whip until 1996. In 1998 he was made Opposition Spokesperson on Constitutional Affairs, Scotland and Wales, and then Shadow Health Secretary in 1999. He held that position until 2003, at which point he became a Co-Chair of the party and was made a Minister without Portfolio. He held those positions until 2005 when he briefly became Shadow Foreign Affairs Secretary, before moving to Defence later that year. Dr Fox has only limited select committee experience. He served on Scottish Affairs from 1992 to 1994. Views on Brexit A staunch opponent of the EU, Fox is particularly critical of the European Commission having any role in defence policy. He believes that the European Security and Defence Policy duplicates and takes away scarce national resources from NATO. He serves as a vice-president of the eurosceptic group, Conservatives for Britain. Life before parliament A GP in Buckinghamshire and Somerset and a Civilian Army Medical Officer. Personal life He married Dr Jesme Baird, a fellow doctor and alumna of the University of Glasgow in 2005. His brother is Colin Fox, national spokesman for the Scottish Socialist Party.

Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, Foreign Secretary

Background • Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip • Constituency majority 10,695 Career Highlights • Mayor of London (2008-16) • Shadow Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills (2005-7) • Vice-Chair, Conservative Party (2003-4)

Biography Former Mayor of London and a popular public figure, Boris Johnson’s policy stances have not always been so well known, and he has intermittently aired views out of keeping with the core of his party.



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Elected Mayor of London in 2008, when he unseated incumbent Labour Mayor Ken Livingstone, Mr Johnson defeated his erstwhile rival again in 2012 to secure a second term. He stood down from City Hall at the end of his second term in 2016. As the executive of London's strategic authority, his role was to promote economic development and wealth creation, social development, and improvement of the environment. He also held various other duties in relation to culture and tourism, including responsibility for Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square. During his tenure as Mayor of London, Mr Johnson banned the consumption of alcohol on the London transport network; introduced the famous ‘Boris bikes’ around London; introduced distinctive new buses and established the Forensic Audit Panel to monitor and investigate financial management at the London Development Agency and the Greater London Authority. Johnson once pledged to build 100,000 affordable homes in London by the end of 2016 as part of his mayoral campaign, and has indicated his support for large scale infrastructure project HS2, despite once raising objections to it in 2011. A staunch opponent of building a new runway at Heathrow and Gatwick, he strongly advocated a new Thames Estuary Hub Airport. His opposition to expansion of Heathrow placed him at odds with constituents in Uxbridge, where many jobs were dependent on the airport. He has been accused of flippancy on climate change after missing his own targets on domestic insulation, carbon emissions and electric cars while Mayor of London. He was re-elected to Parliament in the 2015 General Election. Appointments Before becoming Mayor of London, Mr Johnson was a Member of Parliament. In 2001 he became MP for Henley on Thames, replacing Michael Heseltine, and later went on to become Shadow Minister for the Arts and then Shadow Minister for Higher Education. Following his return to the Commons in 2015, David Cameron appointed Johnson to the Conservative Political Cabinet. Johnson is currently not a member of any parliamentary select committees or all-party groups. Views on Brexit Despite being known for being somewhat of a Europhile, Boris played a leading role in the campaign for Vote Leave in the EU referendum. Johnson supported the Leave campaign on sovereignty grounds, arguing that the EU had changed in nature, with the authority of the central body over the legislation of member states having extended dramatically. He also raised concern about the growing influence of the European Court of Justice and increasing centralisation in the Eurozone during the campaign. While he has often avoided the hard rhetoric adopted by the majority of his party on immigration, Johnson is in favour of detailed immigration checks and curbing which benefits can be claimed by new immigrants. Since the referendum, Johnson has declared that there is no need to immediately trigger Article 50. Unsurprisingly, given the fallout between Gove and Johnson in the leadership contest to replace David Cameron, Johnson backed the other Brexit candidate, Andrea Leadsom, on the ballot. Life before parliament A political journalist by profession and media personality in his own right, Mr Johnson had once been an editor of the Spectator and prior to launching his campaign to become London Mayor, wrote a weekly column in the Daily Telegraph. A frequent recipient of editorial and columnist awards, he was given a Channel 4 News Award for the person who made the biggest impression on the politics of 2004-05. Regularly appearing on TV, he was a frequent contestant on Have I Got News For You and also produced a series on Roman history entitled The Dream of Rome, comparing the Roman Empire and the modern-day European Union. Personal life An Old Etonian, Johnson read Classics at Balliol College, Oxford and went on to become President of the Oxford Union. Coming from a political family, Mr Johnson’s father, Stanley Johnson, is a former Conservative MEP and employee of the European Commission and World Bank. His brother, Jo Johnson, was elected the MP for Orpington in 2010 and his sister, Rachel Johnson, is a writer and journalist.



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Rt Hon Amber Rudd MP, Home Secretary

Background • Member for Hastings and Rye • Constituency majority 4,796 Career Highlights • Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (2015-2016) • Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Energy and Climate Change (2014-5) • HM Treasury Assistant Whip (2013-14)

Biography Conservative MP Amber Rudd has a background in business and finance, and has campaigned on issues including the payment terms enjoyed by supply chain firms. Rudd’s policy interests include women’s issues, transport, finance, environment, food and rural affairs. After being made Energy Secretary following the Conservative General Election victory of 2015, she called for a distinctive conservative market-based anti-subsidy approach to tackling climate change, arguing that the debate had been overly dominated by the left. She confessed to being able to "understand the suspicion of those who see climate action as some sort of cover for anti-growth, anti-capitalist, proto-socialism", and said: "The bottom line is this - if we are acting on climate change to preserve our economic prosperity, we have to make sure that climate change action is pro-growth and pro-business". Ms Rudd used her maiden speech to attack the Common Fisheries Policy endorsed by Defra, and told Parliament it had made the lives of fishermen in her coastal constituency harder. Rudd backed Theresa May for leadership in both voting rounds in the leadership contest to replace David Cameron. Appointments Prior to becoming Energy Secretary in 2016, as Climate Change Minister, Rudd was responsible for policies relating to energy consumers, the Green Deal, the Renewable Heat Incentive, energy efficiency, fuel poverty, the Green Investment Bank, green jobs, climate science and innovation. Prior to that, she had been an Assistant Whip since October 2013 and was PPS to Chancellor George Osborne from September 2012 until the October reshuffle. Rudd also served on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee from 2010 to 2012, was formerly Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Sex Equality and Treasurer of the APPG on Female Genital Mutilation. In 2012, she chaired a cross-party parliamentary inquiry into unplanned pregnancies. Views on Brexit Amber Rudd was one of the cabinet members backing the Remain campaign during the referendum. In a speech on the energy benefits of staying in the EU, she argued that UK energy bills would rise by £500m a year if the UK left. She also stated that the first global climate deal ever agreed in Paris in 2015 wouldn’t have been made possible without EU cooperation.


http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&source=imgres&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjf3b6jo_DNAhUY2WMKHZ3IAqIQjRwIBw&url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber_Rudd&psig=AFQjCNECm0Oovc9acdgxv9BWrt5sk-P1dA&ust=1468493647541648


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Election to Parliament Ms Rudd was elected to Parliament in 2010, securing a 1,993 majority in the Labour/Conservative marginal seat of Hastings and Rye. She unsuccessfully contested Liverpool Garston in 2005, coming third behind Labour MP Maria Eagle and the Liberal Democrat candidate. She was re-elected at the 2015 General Election. Life before Parliament Before becoming an MP, Ms Rudd worked for investment bank JP Morgan and as a head-hunter, specialising in the recruitment of journalists for financial publications. She also worked as a financial journalist herself. She subsequently founded specialist executive search and human resources consultancy Lawnstone Ltd, with clients in financial services and in business media. Personal life Amber Rudd was born in London, and brought up between Kensington and her family’s home in Wiltshire. The daughter of a stockbroker, she was educated at Cheltenham Ladies' College and Queen's College, London before going on to study history at the University of Edinburgh. Her brother, Roland Rudd, is the founder and Chair of public relations and lobbying company Finsbury. His political inclinations have long been left of centre and strongly pro-Europe. He was a big supporter of the New Labour project, working closely with Peter Mandelson who became godfather of one of Rudd’s three children.

The Rt Hon Michael Fallon MP, Secretary of State for Defence

Background • Member for Sevenoaks • Constituency majority: 19,561 Career Highlights • Secretary of State for Defence (Jul 2014 - 2016) • Minister of State (BIS) (Jointly with DECC) (Mar 2013 - Jul 2014) • Minister of State (DECC) (Jointly with Department for Business, Innovation and

Skills) (Mar 2013 - Jul 2014) • Minister of State (BIS) (Business and Enterprise) (Sep 2012 - Mar 2013)

Biography In September 2010, Mr Fallon was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, following Lord Ashcroft's resignation. Commenting on this appointment, the Guardian described Mr Fallon as “impressive” and “one of the most effective communicators on the Tory benches”, noting that this was a decision that leaders were “unlikely to regret”. In September two years later, Mr Fallon was appointed a BIS minister in what was David Cameron's first major reshuffle since coming into office. At the same time as this appointment he gave up his position as Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party, being replaced by Sarah Newton. Soon after, it was announced that Mr Fallon would also become a member of the Privy Council. Mr Fallon became well known at Westminster as a senior member of the Treasury Select Committee, which he served on for an uninterrupted 13-year spell from 1999. He stood unsuccessfully for the chairmanship of the Committee in 2010, losing to his Conservative colleague Andrew Tyrie. A long-serving MP, Mr Fallon first entered Parliament in 1983 as the MP for Darlington. He lost his seat of Darlington to future Labour Cabinet Minister Alan Milburn in 1992, but was eventually re-elected as the MP for Sevenoaks in 1997. From 2005 to 2007, Mr Fallon served on the Executive of the backbench 1922 Committee.



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Fallon backed Theresa May for leadership in both voting rounds in the leadership contest to replace David Cameron. Appointments Mr Fallon was made an Assistant Whip under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1988. Having been appointed Schools Minister in 1990, Mr Fallon ended his tenure upon the loss of his seat two years later. Having re-entered Parliament in 1997, he was made Opposition Spokesperson on Trade and Industry, and subsequently Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury. He resigned from the front bench in the autumn of 1998 for health reasons. In September two years later, Mr Fallon was appointed a BIS minister in what was David Cameron's first major reshuffle since coming into office. At the same time as this appointment he gave up his position as Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party, being replaced by Sarah Newton. Soon after, it was announced that Mr Fallon would also become a member of the Privy Council. In January 2014 Mr Fallon was appointed as "Minister for Portsmouth" to deal with the fall-out from the planned closure of the city’s shipbuilding yard and the loss of hundreds of jobs. A major Cabinet reshuffle in July saw Mr Fallon join the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Defence. After the 2015 General Election, Mr Fallon was reappointed to the role of Defence Secretary. Mr Fallon became well known at Westminster as a senior member of the Treasury Select Committee, which he served on for an uninterrupted 13-year spell from 1999. He stood unsuccessfully for the chairmanship of the Committee in 2010, losing to his Conservative colleague Andrew Tyrie. In keeping with his academic history, Mr Fallon was Chair of the All-Party Classics Group until becoming a Minister in the Coalition Government. Views on Brexit Fallon was a leading campaigner for the Remain campaign, saying that the UK would be taking a "big gamble" with its security if it votes to leave the EU. He has, however, previously admitted to being eurosceptic. Life before Parliament Having lost his seat in 1992, Mr Fallon pursued a successful career in business, becoming the director of residential care provider Quality Care Homes PLC and establishing the Just Learning chain of children's nurseries. Personal life Born in Scotland in 1952, he was educated at Epsom College and graduated from St Andrews University with an MA in Classics and Ancient History. Mr Fallon is a Patron of the Rockdale House Appeal, Honorary Member of the Darenth Valley Rotary Club, Patron of Darenth Valley Youth Music, President of the Friends of Sundridge Church, and a member of the Sevenoaks Society.



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Biography During his time in the Cabinet of David Cameron, Mr Hunt spearheaded some of the controversial NHS pursued by that Conservative Government. This included bedding in the Health and Social Care Act, "the seven-day NHS" and the implementation of the Stevens Review. During an interview on the BBC's Today programme on 26 April, Mr Hunt stated that his role as Health Secretary was "likely to be my last big job in politics", dampening rumours that he had ambitions to be Party leader. In Parliament, however, Mr Hunt has been a largely loyal Conservative MP; as Shadow Culture Secretary, he was one of a handful of Conservative MPs that assisted the outgoing Labour Government in passing the Digital Economy Act 2010. Hunt backed Theresa May for leadership in both voting rounds in the leadership contest to replace David Cameron. Previously admitted he was “considering” a leadership bid. Appointments Despite only being elected to Parliament in 2005, Mr Hunt made a speedy entry to the frontbench and was appointed Shadow Minister for Disabled People in December of that year. He then joined the Shadow Cabinet in 2007 as Shadow Culture Secretary and accordingly became Culture Secretary in May 2010, following the formation of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat. While still Culture Secretary, Mr Hunt saw responsibility for all competition and policy issues relating to broadcasting, digital and telecoms sectors transferred to his department from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills in January 2011, following remarks made by Business Secretary Dr Vince Cable to undercover reporters posing as constituents regarding the high-profile BSkyB deal. However, a series of emails detailing contact between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and News Corp during the BSkyB bid, led to calls for Mr Hunt's resignation amid accusations that he had failed to act impartially during the bid. Nonetheless, this did not prevent him receiving a relative promotion as part of David Cameron's first wide-scale Cabinet reshuffle in September 2012 when he replaced Andrew Lansley as Health Secretary. He was re-appointed as Health Secretary following the 2015 General Election. He was eventually exonerated of any wrongdoing, with the inquiry reporting in November 2012 that there was no evidence he had shown bias in the handling of News Corporation’s bid to purchase BSkyB. He was a member of the International Development Select Committee from 2005 to 2006.

The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Secretary of State for Health

Background • Member for South West Surrey • Constituency majority: 28556 Career Highlights • Secretary of State for Health (Sep 2012 – present) • Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (May 2010 - Sep 2012) • Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (also Shadow Deputy

Prime Minister) (Jul 2007 - May 2010)



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Views on Brexit An opponent of Brexit, Hammond campaigned for the UK to remain in the EU. Life before Parliament Mr Hunt worked as a management consultant before moving to Japan to teach English. He went on to establish a successful career as a businessman and entrepreneur, having founded two companies – Public PR, a marketing consultancy, and the Hotcourses publishing firm. Personal life Mr Hunt is married to Lucia Guo who comes from Xi’an in China, where they married in 2009. The couple have a son and a daughter. In 2011, the Daily Mail revealed that Mr Hunt had spent £2,527 of public money on private Chinese language tutoring, under a scheme offering private language tuition to MPs. Responding to the paper’s enquiries; his spokesperson said that the lessons had been useful in welcoming the Chinese Prime Minister to the UK that year.

Rt Hon Justine Greening MP, Secretary of State for Education and Women and Equalities

Background • Member for Putney • Constituency majority: 10,180 Career Highlights • Secretary of State for International Development (2012-2016) • Secretary of State for Transport (2011-12) • Economic Secretary, HM Treasury (2010-11) • Vice-Chair, Conservative Party (2005-10)

Biography As International Development Secretary, Conservative MP Justine Greening has focused on the promotion of economic development. As a constituency MP, Ms Greening has focused her efforts on improving services on the District Line and has been vocal against the expansion of Heathrow. She introduced the Environmental Protection (Airports) Bill in December 2007 and has pledged to continue the fight against aircraft noise saying: "We simply cannot continue to develop Heathrow until it bursts at the seams. Greening supported Theresa May in both voting rounds in the leadership contest to replace David Cameron. Appointments Greening became Vice-Chairman of the Conservative party, with special responsibility for youth issues, shortly after being elected to Parliament in 2005. She was promoted to the frontbench in 2007, becoming a Shadow Treasury Minister and later a Shadow Communities and Local Government Minister. Following her appointment as Economic Secretary to the Treasury under the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Coalition, Greening replaced Philip Hammond as Transport Secretary in a reshuffle in October 2011. She did not remain in the Transport brief for long, before being moved to post of International Development Secretary in Cameron's first major Cabinet reshuffle in September 2012. Greening was reappointed International Development Secretary after the 2015 General Election.



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Appointments Greening became Vice-Chairman of the Conservative party, with special responsibility for youth issues, shortly after being elected to Parliament in 2005. She was promoted to the frontbench in 2007, becoming a Shadow Treasury Minister and later a Shadow Communities and Local Government Minister. Following her appointment as Economic Secretary to the Treasury under the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Coalition, Greening replaced Philip Hammond as Transport Secretary in a reshuffle in October 2011. She did not remain in the Transport brief for long, before being moved to post of International Development Secretary in Cameron's first major Cabinet reshuffle in September 2012. Greening was reappointed International Development Secretary after the 2015 General Election. Following her election to Parliament, Ms Greening was made a member of the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee. She also served on the Public Accounts Committee between 2010 and 2011. Views on Brexit Greening was one of the cabinet ministers supporting the Remain camp during the EU referendum. Life before Parliament Prior to entering Parliament, Ms Greening worked as a strategist and accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers, GlaxoSmithKline, Beecham and Centrica. She was a councillor in Epping and stood as the Conservative candidate for Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush in 2001. Personal life Born in Rotherham, Ms Greening attended a local comprehensive before moving to study economics at the University of Southampton. She later gained an MBA from the London Business School, providing the springboard for her career in accountancy. In 2016 she tweeted that she is in a same-sex relationship.

Rt Hon Liz Truss MP, Secretary of State for Justice

Background • Member for South West Norfolk • Constituency majority: 13,861 Career Highlights • Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2014-2016) • Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Education (2012-14)

Biography Ms Truss’ main policy interests include the economy, education and food. She has also campaigned for improved rail services and better promotion of tourism opportunities in her constituency. As a backbencher Ms Truss argued for the simplification of regulations around farming, including the introduction of a single inspection regime and the reduction of EU regulations. She has also called for further consideration of farming revenues within the planning framework and noted on several occasions that farming is “the biggest manufacturing industry in the UK.” She has also been critical of the Environment Agency, and has described it as “remote” and “bureaucratic” and suggested it needs to be more directly accountable to communities. In March 2015 she was one of only two Cabinet Ministers to vote against the Government's proposals to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes, in what was technically a free vote. .



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Biography Ms Truss’ main policy interests include the economy, education and food. She has also campaigned for improved rail services and better promotion of tourism opportunities in her constituency. As a backbencher Ms Truss argued for the simplification of regulations around farming, including the introduction of a single inspection regime and the reduction of EU regulations. She has also called for further consideration of farming revenues within the planning framework and noted on several occasions that farming is “the biggest manufacturing industry in the UK.” She has also been critical of the Environment Agency, and has described it as “remote” and “bureaucratic” and suggested it needs to be more directly accountable to communities. In March 2015 she was one of only two Cabinet Ministers to vote against the Government's proposals to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes, in what was technically a free vote. Ms Truss was co-founder of the Free Enterprise Group of Conservative MPs, which campaigns for economic reform and a positive attitude to profit making enterprise. In September 2011, together with four other members of the Group, she had co-authored After the Coalition, a book which argued for the return of a more entrepreneurial and meritocratic culture. Liz Truss backed Theresa May in her leadership bid to replace David Cameron as the next Prime Minister in both voting rounds. Appointments Ms Truss joined the Cabinet in July 2014, when she was appointed Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and was later re-appointed to this position, after the 2015 General Election. She also became a member of the Privy Council at this juncture. Prior to this, she had been Education and Childcare Minister since September 2012, where she was responsible for childcare and early learning, curriculum reform, school food review, behaviour and attendance, the Standards and Teaching Agency and Ofqual. Before she was a Minister, Ms Truss served on the Justice Committee for two years. Ms Truss's professional memberships also include the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, the Greenwich Society and Toastmasters International, an international NGO that helps people develop their public speaking skills. Views on Brexit Liz Truss was one of the cabinet members who campaigned for the Remain camp during the EU referendum. During the campaign, Truss maintained that British farming would be "stronger, safer, and better off" by remaining in the EU, but has insisted it is "business as usual" for the industry following the Brexit vote. Election to Parliament One of David Cameron’s 100 A-List candidates to be targeted at safe seats in 2010, Ms Truss successfully contested the seat of South West Norfolk in the 2010 general election, retaining the seat for the Conservatives and increasing the party's share of the vote to 48.3 per cent. In the past Ms Truss unsuccessfully contested Calder Valley in 2005 and Hemsworth in 2001. She was re-elected in the 2015 General Election with a majority of 13,861 Life before Parliament Before the 2010 election, Ms Truss was an academic researcher, employed as Deputy Director of the centre-right think tank Reform, with responsibility for the economy, education and health. She formerly worked for Shell as a commercial analyst focusing on Brunei, India and the US. She went on to become commercial manager and economics director at Cable and Wireless. With Reform, Ms Truss co-authored a number of papers including the think tank’s response to the economic downturn, ‘Back to Black’, as well as ‘A New level’ and ‘The Value of Mathematics’. She has also written articles for the Spectator, the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph. Personal life Ms Truss grew up in Yorkshire and read PPE at Oxford. As a student, she was an active member of the Liberal Democrats but by the time of her election to Parliament, she had been a Conservative member for more than 13 years.



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Rt Hon Baroness Evans of Bowes Park, Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

Background • Joined the Lords in September 2014 Career Highlights • Baroness in Waiting HM Household & Whip (2015-) • Director, New Schools Network (2013-15)

Biography Baroness Evans’ policy interests include education and families. As well as having worked for the New Schools Network, in April 2009 she co-authored the Policy Exchange paper Families in Britain: the impact of changing family structures. She has contributed to proceedings in the Lords on student loans, overseas students, the Middle East and North Africa, child development, the Constitutional Convention Bill, freedom of religion and belief and mental health services in schools and colleges. Appointments Baroness Evans was made a Lords Whip in May 2015 and appointed Leader of the House of Lords in 2016. Natalie Jessica Evans was elevated to the House of Lords on 12 September 2014 as a Conservative life peer, taking the title Baroness Evans of Bowes Park. Views on Brexit Baroness Evans was one of only two ministers from the Lords who supported the leave campaign in the EU referendum. Life before Parliament In 2013, Ms Evans was appointed Director of the New Schools Network – an independent charity aimed at supporting groups wanting to set up free schools – having previously served as its Chief Operating Officer. She has repeatedly argued that free schools not only provide a better education than state schools, but play a role in pushing up standards at local state schools. Prior to this, she was Deputy Director of the centre-right think tank Policy Exchange. She has also worked as Head of Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce and Deputy Director at the Conservative Research Department. Personal life Baroness Evans has a degree in Social and Political Sciences from Cambridge University. Her husband is employed as a Special Adviser by Michael Fallon MP, Secretary of State for Defence.


P A G E

Biography: Aside from transport, Patrick McLoughlin’s policy interests include agriculture and education. A seasoned backroom operator, Mr McLoughlin spent a good deal of his parliamentary career helping Conservative governments get their agendas through the Commons, either as a whip or a minister. During his tenure as Transport Secretary in David Cameron's government, he was tasked with a number of difficult decisions including leading a review of the rail franchising system following the failures over the West Coast Main Line. Mr McLoughlin was also the Cabinet minister responsible for overseeing the politically sensitive issue of airports expansion in the South East. His time at the Department for Transport saw the Government place a heavy emphasis on capital spending, particularly in bringing in the first five-year strategy for roads spending. Mr McLoughlin backed Theresa May in both voting rounds in the leadership contest to replace David Cameron. Appointments Mr McLoughlin was appointed Conservative Party Chair in Theresay May’s reshuffle in July 2016. He was previously appointed Secretary of State for Transport in September 2012, having served as the Coalition Government’s Chief Whip since 2010. In this role, he was responsible for transport strategy, transport security and high speed rail. Before being appointed Government Chief Whip, he had held the equivalent position in opposition, having been given this post by David Cameron when he was elected leader of the party in December 2005. Backing Michael Howard in the 1997 Conservative leadership election, Mr McLoughlin was the Conservative Deputy Chief Whip from 1998 until 2005, having been an assistant whip since 1995. He went on to serve as a minister in the Department for Transport under Margaret Thatcher and had responsibility for aviation and shipping. He subsequently served in the Department of Employment and the Department of Trade and Industry before being removed by the then Prime Minister John Major. Mr McLoughlin was appointed to the Privy Council in 2005. He has also served on a wide range of Select Committees, including the Selection Committee, the Administration Committee and the Modernisation of the House of Commons Committee. Additionally, in 1982 he was Chairman of the National Young Conservatives and well as a member of the National Union of Mineworkers.

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Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP, Conservative Party Chairman and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Background: • Member for Derbyshire Dales • Constituency majority: 14,044

Career highlights: • Secretary of State for Transport (2012-16) • Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip (2010-12) • Shadow Chief Whip (2005-10)



P A G E

Views on Brexit Mr McLoughlin campaigned to remain inside the reformed European Union. Election to Parliament After unsuccessfully contesting the Wolverhampton South East seat for the Conservatives during the 1983 election, Mr McLoughlin was elected to Parliament in 1986 after winning the West Derbyshire by-election with a majority of just 100 votes. Before entering Parliament, Mr McLoughlin was a councillor on Cannock Chase District Council from 1980 to 1987. He also sat on Staffordshire County Council from 1981 to 1987. Mr McLoughlin was re-elected in 2015 with a majority of 14,044. Life before Parliament Mr McLoughlin worked in agriculture for five years before becoming a coal miner at Littleton Colliery, Cannock. Although a member National Union of Mineworkers, he broke ranks during the 1984 miners' strike and later came to national attention when he stood up at the 1984 Conservative Party Conference to announce that he was not observing the strike. Personal life Born in Staffordshire in 1957, Mr McLoughlin comes from a mining family. A Catholic, he was educated at Cardinal Griffin Roman Catholic School in Cannock and then Staffordshire College of Agriculture.


Rt Hon Gavin Williamson MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip

Background: • Member for South Staffordshire • Constituency majority: 20,371

Career highlights: • Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip (2016-)

Biography: On entering the House of Commons, Gavin Williamson used his maiden speech to speak of his experience in manufacturing and call for a cultural change to properly promote and recognise designers and innovators within the sector. Mr Williamson asserted that he is a Conservative because of his beliefs in a “strong independent Britain that can play a powerful role on the world stage”. Mr Williamson backed Theresa May in both voting rounds of the leadership contest to replace David Cameron. For more information please get in touch with [email protected]


P A G E

Appointments Reflecting his experience as a Member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee, Mr Williamson was promoted to PPS to Northern Ireland Minister Hugo Swire in October 2011. In September 2012, Williamson moved to DfT, becoming a PPS to Patrick McLoughlin, who was appointed Transport Secretary as part of Mr Cameron's first major Government reshuffle of his tenure. In October 2013, Mr Williamson became the Parliamentary Private Secretary to Prime Minister David Cameron, remaining in the role until his resignation in July 2016. In July 2016, Mr Williamson was appointed Chief Whip in the House of Commons. Shortly after his election to Parliament, Mr Williamson became a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee. After his appointment as PPS to Hugo Swire, Mr Williamson stepped down from the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee. Exhibiting an interest in foreign affairs, Mr Williamson is a member of the all-party groups on China, Korea and the Great Lakes Region of Africa and Genocide Prevention. He is also a member of the group on Private Equity and Venture Capital. Views on Brexit Gavin Williamson campaigned to remain inside the EU during the referendum. Election to Parliament First elected to the Houses of Parliament in the 2010 general election, Gavin Williamson increased his party’s share of the vote from 50.6 per cent to 53.2 per cent, securing a 16,590 majority. He had previously fought Blackpool North and Fleetwood for the Conservatives at the 2005 election, but lost. He was re-elected at the 2015 General Election with a majority of 20,371. Life before Parliament Before entering Parliament, Mr Williamson was involved in the manufacturing industry, having turned around a struggling Staffordshire pottery firm. Until May 2010 he was the managing director of an architectural design practice which has been involved in the design of many schools, public sector and commercial buildings. Between 2005 and 2010 he was deputy chairman of Staffordshire Area Conservatives, chairman of Stoke on Trent Conservative Association and vice chairman of Derbyshire Dales Conservative Association. Prior to this, he served as a county councillor for North Yorkshire County Council for four years. Mr Williamson was the penultimate national chair of Conservative Students in the late 1990s before it was abolished and the separate youth wings of the party were united as Conservative Future. Personal life Mr Williamson is highly active in the voluntary sector, serving both as a school governor and as a charitable trustee at a Citizen’s Advice Bureau.


P A G E

Biography: Dr Greg Clark’s policy interests include economics, welfare reform, poverty, transport, health, housing development, energy and climate change, science, and universities. Before becoming Universities and Science Minister, Dr Clark hailed the importance of City Deals for universities. He commented that the support of universities and research institutions helped provide high quality bids for the City Deals, and noted that Warwickshire had some of the “finest universities in the country.” As an MP, he has been keen to appear tough on anti-social behaviour in Tunbridge Wells, campaigned for the expansion of the A21 and pushed for the construction of a new hospital in the constituency. In 2008, Dr Clark introduced a Bill to allow mobile phone users "the right to roam" between telephone networks in order to access the best signal and to promote the sharing of transmission masts among mobile operators. Greg Clark backed Theresa May in both voting rounds of the leadership contest to replaced David Cameron. Appointments Theresa May appointed Dr Clark as Secretary of State in a new Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Dr Clark was previously appointed Communities and Local Government Secretary in Prime Minister David Cameron's first Cabinet. Prior to this, Dr Clark took on the Universities and Science brief at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills during the Coalition Government's July 2014 reshuffle. He retained his role as Minister of State for Cities and Constitution at the Cabinet Office, a position he was handed in October 2013. His responsibilities as Minister of State for Universities and Science included higher education, widening participation, student finance, preventing violent extremism, science and research, STEM (science technology, engineering and mathematics) skills, the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), smart cities and space. He was previously Financial Secretary to the Treasury where his responsibilities included financial services policy and the Government’s overall strategic relationship with UK financial services. Before joining the Treasury team, Dr Clark was a minister in the Department of Communities and Local Government. He was Minister for Decentralisation immediately after the 2010 General Election, before becoming Minister for Cities from July 2011 until September 2012. When the Conservatives were in Opposition, Dr Clark was appointed Shadow Energy Secretary in 2008, and as Shadow Minister for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering.


Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Background: • Member for Tunbridge Wells • Constituency majority: 22,874

Career highlights: • Current Secretary of State for Department for Business, Energy and Industrial

Strategy • Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (May 2015-July 2016) • Minister of State for Universities and Science, BIS (2014-15) • Minister of State, Cabinet Office (2013-15)

P A G E

Dr Clark was appointed to the Privy Council in May 2010. Before becoming a Minister, he served on the Public Accounts Committee from 2005 to 2007. He is also a member of the advisory board of public policy think tank ResPublica. Views on Brexit In keeping with most of his Cabinet colleagues, Dr Clark backed a remain vote in the EU referendum. Election to Parliament Elected to represent Tunbridge Wells at the 2005 General Election, Dr Clark was re-elected in 2010 with an increased majority. He was again re-elected at the 2015 General Election with a majority of 22,874. Life before Parliament Before becoming an MP, Dr Clark worked as a consultant for business strategy firm Boston Consulting group and was posted to the USA, Mexico, South America and Iceland. He was also Special Adviser to the then Trade and Industry Secretary Ian Lang from 1996 until the 1997 general election. Later, he was the BBC’s Controller for Commercial Policy. From March 2001 until his election to Parliament in 2005, Dr Clark was Director of Policy for the Conservative Party. He also sat on Westminster City Council from 2005 to 2005, where he was Cabinet Member for Leisure and Lifelong Learning. Personal life Born in Middlesbrough, Dr Clark attended the local South Bank Comprehensive School before gaining a BA in Economics from Cambridge University. He went on to study for a PhD at the London School of Economics.



Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP: Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Background • Member for Staffordshire Moorlands • Constituency majority: 10,174

Career Highlights • Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office) (Feb 2014 -July 2016) • Lord Commissioner (HM Treasury) (Whip) (Oct 2013 -Feb 2014)

Biography She describes herself as bringing to bear “real-world understanding” from her two-decade career in accounting and consultancy upon her work on economic and growth policy.



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Her political priorities are campaigning for high school standards and helping schools in rural areas to remain open; more police and tougher penalties for crime; protecting farms and green spaces against planning proposals; and greater investment in the constituency. Ms Bradley backed Theresa May for leadership in both voting rounds in the leadership contest to replace David Cameron. Appointments Ms Bradley was appointed as an Assistant Whip with responsibility for the Treasury in 2012. In October 2013, she was promoted to a Government Whip. In February 2014, Ms Bradley was promoted to Parliamentary Under Secretary of State within the Home Office, covering the crime and security brief. Ms Bradley became Preventing Abuse and Exploitation Minister in January 2016, assuming responsibility for drugs and alcohol policy. Upon entering Parliament, Ms Bradley was elected to sit on the Work and Pensions Committee and held this role until 2012, when she became an Assistant Whip. Election to Parliament Ms Bradley was elected to Parliament for the first time in 2010, taking the seat of Staffordshire Moorlands from notional incumbent Labour MP Charlotte Atkins. Described as one of “Dave’s Dolls” by the Times, the broadsheet asserted that her selection under the Priority List system had restored faith in the regime, which had threatened to go off the rails when half a dozen local associations “dug in and chose middle-aged men”. She was also the Conservative candidate for the Manchester Withington seat in 2005 before being selected for her current seat of Staffordshire Moorlands in 2006. She was re-elected at the 2015 General Election with a majority of 10,174. Views on Brexit Karen Bradley supported the Remain campaign during the EU referendum. Life before Parliament Following Ms Bradley’s graduation, she led a successful career of almost 20 years working for major accounting firms and as a self-employed tax and economics consultant. A self-described “couch Conservative”, she was a relative latecomer to politics. She became involved in campaigning for the Conservatives in 2002 after she was seconded by her employer at the time, KPMG, to work as a technical adviser to the Shadow Treasury Team led by Michael Howard. After this, she worked in the Conservative Policy Unit helping to develop economic and fiscal policies, particularly those associated with over-regulation and red tape, and as an advisor to the Conservative Members who sat on the Finance Bill Standing Committee on the impact of Budget measures.



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Personal life Originally from the Moorlands, Ms Bradley grew up in a pub in Buxton and attended the local comprehensive before going to Imperial College London to complete a BSc in Mathematics. y Rt Hon Damian Green MP: Work and Pensions Secretary

Background • Member for Ashford • Constituency majority: 19,296

Career Highlights • Ministry of Justice (also in Home Office) (2012 - 2014) • Minister of State for Policing, Home Office & Ministry of Justice (2012-14) • Minister of State for Immigration, Home Office (2010-12)

Biography One of the original champions of “compassionate conservatism”, Mr Green is a supporter of closer European integration and a proponent of proportional representation. First appointed the Conservatives' Shadow Immigration Minister when David Cameron became leader of the Conservative Party in 2005, Mr Green has served in a wide range of frontbench positions. Mr Green backed Theresa May for leadership in both voting rounds in the leadership contest to replace David Cameron. Appointments Mr Green replaced Nick Herbert as Policing and Criminal Justice Minister in September 2012, a position he held until July 2014 when he was sacked as part of the Prime Minister's wide-ranging Government reshuffle. He had previously served as Immigration Minister from 2010 to 2012. He is perhaps best known for having been arrested in November 2008 during his Shadow Home Affairs tenure for "conspiring to commit misconduct in a public office". These allegations were linked to a series of leaked documents from the UK Borders Agency, and resulted in police searches of his Westminster office and a battle to get his DNA record removed from the database. In April 2009 the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute Mr Green. He was the Conservatives' Spokesperson on Education and Employment between 1998 and 1999; Environment Spokesperson between 1999 and 2001; Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills between 2001 and 2003; and Shadow Secretary of State for Transport between 2003 and 2004. Mr Green voluntarily returned to the backbenches during Michael Howard's July 2004 reshuffle, stating that he wanted to make a broader case for “compassionate conservatism” than a front bench role would allow. Mr Green is also a member of the Privy Council. Memberships Having been a member of both the Culture, Media and Sport Committee and the Procedure Committee from 1997 to 1998, Mr Green subsequently served on the Home Affairs and Treasury Committees.



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In July 2015, he was made a member of the European Scrutiny Committee and the National Security Strategy Joint Committee. He has served as a Vice-President of the Tory Reform Group, a body that seeks to promote the values of the One Nation Tory vision. Views on Brexit Green was appointed as a member of the Britain Stronger in Europe board in 2015, and had criticised Vote Leave’s arguments for “making no sense”. Life before Parliament A financial journalist for BBC Radio, the Daily Telegraph and Channel 4 before entering politics, Mr Green joined John Major's Policy Unit for two years, before forming his own public affairs consultancy in 1994. Personal life Educated at Reading Grammar School before attending Balliol College, Oxford to study PPE, he was President of the Oxford Union in 1977.

Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP, Secretary for Communities and Local Government

Background • Member for Bromsgrove • Constituency majority: 16,529 Career Highlights • Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (2015-) • Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (2014-15) • Minister for Equality (2014) • Financial Secretary, HM Treasury (2013-14) • Economic Secretary, HM Treasury (2012-13)

Biography Listing Margaret Thatcher as one of his key inspirations, Javid is a former investment banker of 19 years, who entered parliament to focus on reducing the UK’s debt and reinstating British traditions of sound public finances, low and simple taxation, and light and flexible regulation. He has written articles for ConservativeHome calling for tax cuts and deregulation of business and describes himself as a “businessman and private investor”. Speaking to ConservativeHome in 2010 Mr Javid said that he had joined the Conservative Party as " a patriot that believes in liberty, free markets and helping the poor help themselves". He lists his local priorities as protecting green spaces, preserving the rural way of life, supporting farmers, regenerating Bromsgrove town centre and fighting for fairer funding from central Government for local services. His other national priorities include improving the NHS, ensuring that the police are more visible on the streets, cutting immigration and improving school discipline. Javid backed Stephen Crabb on a joint-ticket for leadership before he resigned, which would have secured him the role of Chancellor were Crabb victorious in the leadership contest to replace David Cameron. Following Crabb’s resignation, Sajid transferred his support to Theresa May.



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Appointments Javid’s first step on the Ministerial ladder came with his appointment as PPS to Further Education Minister John Hayes in November 2010. In October of the following year, he was promoted again, becoming PPS to Chancellor George Osborne in the reshuffle following the resignation of the then Defence Secretary, Liam Fox. In David Cameron's first major reshuffle Mr Javid took over the role as Economic Secretary to the Treasury and was later promoted to the position of Financial Secretary to the Treasury in the 2013 reshuffle. In April 2014, following the resignation of Maria Miller over controversial expenses claims, Mr Javid was appointed Culture Secretary, making him the first of the 2010 entrants to Parliament to become a member of the Cabinet. He also took on the Equalities brief and was appointed to the Privy Council. Following the 2015 General Election, he was appointed Business Secretary. Upon entering Parliament, he was elected by his fellow Conservative MPs to sit on the Work and Pensions Select Committee, but was discharged in November 2010. Views on Brexit Along with the majority of his Cabinet colleagues Mr Javid supported a Remain vote in the 2016 referendum on the UK's membership of the EU. After the referendum, Javid warned that there is no immediate need to decide when to trigger article 50, noting that his “absolute priority” was making sure the UK had “the tools it needs to continue to compete on the global stage”. During the leadership contest, Javid set out an economic blueprint for the next Prime Minister to try to ensure that market volatility after the vote to leave the EU "doesn't turn into long term decline". His five point plan called for: guarantees that all EU migrant workers who were here on June 23 will have the right to remain in the UK; Autumn Statement to be brought forward to October and for it to be used to focus on supply-side reforms; a Growing Britain Fund worth up to £100 billion to fund business-friendly infrastructure programmes alongside the private sector; the start of the process to identify unnecessary EU red tape that can be shredded; two very clear red lines with the EU - UK law must be supreme, and the UK government must have full control of our immigration policy. Election to Parliament Javid was part of a group of new MPs who significantly increased ethnic minority representation in the Parliamentary Conservative Party upon entering the Commons in 2015. Alongside Rehman Chishti, he became one of the first two Muslim MPs to represent the Conservative Party. Life before Parliament Whilst a student at Exeter University he ran the Exeter Enterprise Forum – a pro-capitalism campaign – with fellow Conservative activist Tim Montgomerie and also first joined the Conservative Party. Following this, he led a successful career as a banker working as Vice President for Chase Manhattan Bank aged just 24 and then as a Managing Director for Deutsche Bank in Singapore, before leaving the latter in 2009 to pursue a career in politics.



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Engaged in community work for much of his life, he has undertaken charity work for the British Red Cross and is a trustee of Westminster Children’s Society and of the London Early Years Foundation. Personal life Born 5 December 1969, Mr Javid attended a state comprehensive in Bristol and went on to study Economics and Politics at Exeter University. Describing himself as the “working class son of an immigrant bus driver” and a seamstress, he is one of five sons. Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP, Transport Secretary

Background • Member for Epsom and Ewell • Constituency majority: 24,443 Career Highlights • Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (May 2015 - present) • Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (2012 - 2015) • Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2007 - 2009) • Shadow Secretary of State for Transport (2005 - 2007) • Shadow Leader of the House of Commons (2005 - 2005)

Biography Mr Grayling was first elected to Parliament in 2001, after an unsuccessful attempt to enter the Commons in 1997, when he had defied then Prime Minister John Major to announce that he would vote against a single European currency if elected. During his time as Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling became known for taking a harder line than his predecessor Ken Clarke, calling for “more foreign national prisoners to [be returned] to their countries of origin”. One of a number of MPs caught up in the expenses scandal in 2009, Mr Grayling was criticised after claiming thousands of pounds for renovations at a London flat 17 miles from his family home. Grayling was the Campaign Manager for Theresa May’s leadership campaign. Appointments Mr Grayling was made Leader of the House of Commons following the 2015 General Election. First joining the Conservatives' front benches following the 2005 general election, Mr Grayling has served as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, Shadow Transport Secretary, and Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, before being appointed Shadow Home Secretary in January 2009. He had also been a Shadow Minister for Health, Shadow Minister for Higher and Further Education and an Opposition Whip.



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Appointed Minister of State within the Department for Work and Pensions in May 2010, it was once thought that such criticisms may have prevented him from converting his former position as Shadow Home Secretary into a cabinet post. However, this was proved not to be the case, when, as part of David Cameron's first major Cabinet reshuffle, he replaced political heavyweight Ken Clarke as Justice Secretary, a role he held until the post-2015 General Election Cabinet Reshuffle. For a man regarded as one of the flag bearers of the Tory Right in the Cabinet, it did not take him long to prove this characterisation correct as Justice Secretary. In January 2013 Mr Grayling announced plans to partially privatise the Probation Service. Under the plans, private firms, charities and voluntary organisations will take over the management of low-risk offenders from the Probation Service and be paid by their results - in similar fashion to the government's work programme. In 2001, Mr Grayling began eighteen months as a member of the Transport Select Committee. He joined the Public Accounts Commission after his appointment as Leader of the House in 2015. In his role as Leader of the House, Mr Grayling also chaired the Joint Commitee on the Palace of Westminster. Views on Brexit Grayling was part of the Vote Leave campaign. Mr Grayling has used his political clout to attack “mad” Brussels red tape, arguing that European regulations would cost British jobs. Writing in the Daily Telegraph in January 2016, Mr Grayling launched an open attack on what he considered to be Britain's "disastrous" membership of the EU. “The crisis in the eurozone and the migration challenge have led to calls for still more integration and a move towards much greater political union. It is a path that the UK will not and should not follow,” Mr Grayling wrote. He reiterated these comments after the UK-EU negotiations were completed in February and was one of seven Cabinet members to openly campaign for a Leave vote in the 2016 referendum. Life before parliament Having run several television production companies during the early-mid 1990s, Mr Grayling worked as a management consultant with Burson Marsteller from 1997 until his election to Parliament in 2001. Personal life Born in London but raised in Buckinghamshire, Mr Grayling attended a local grammar school. He went on to read History at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, and has written several books, including histories of the Bridgewater Canal in Lancashire, Anglo-American relations, and life in England after the First World War.



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Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Farming and Agriculture

Background • Member for South Northamptonshire • Constituency majority: 26,416 • Career Highlights • Minister of State for Department of Energy and Climate Change (2015-) • Economic Secretary, HM Treasury (2014-15)

Biography One of the leading voices in the successful Vote Leave campaign during the run-up to the EU Referendum, Andrea Leadsom ran to be leader of the Conservative Party in June 2016. She spoke about "empowering" Government departments, reducing the number of Cabinet-level ministers and the need to create a post for a Deputy Prime Minister with a department to lead on the process of Brexit negotiations by drawing on expertise across Whitehall. Leadsom also declared that she had "enormous" ambitions to improve mental health and deal with inequality and committed to an early review of HS2, examining whether the money could be better spent on infrastructure in the north of England. Leadsom favours the expansion at both Heathrow and Gatwick Airports. With an interest in the economy, Ms Leadsom chose to deliver her maiden speech during a debate on the June 2010 Emergency Budget. She welcomed the restoration of control over financial regulation to the Bank of England, stressing how crucial this had been in calming market fears after the collapse of Barings in 1995. Furthermore, she argued that competition had to be increased in the banking sector, with entrance to the market made easier and banks broken up where they were “too big to fail.” On energy policy, Ms Leadsom wrote on ConservativeHome in 2011, that she accepted that onshore wind had its part to play in generating renewable energy, but concluded "that the benefits of onshore wind have been hugely exaggerated by the developers who stand to make huge sums from the taxpayer incentives". However, she has expressed support for "clean technologies", such as tidal and marine technologies, ground source heat pumps, and hydroelectric power. As a former Chairman of Trustees for the Oxford Parent Infant Project, Ms Leadsom also has an interest in early years development, believes early intervention is "very effective” and said she hoped to see a national roll-out of children's charity centres. In the past, she has called for greater gender equality in the work place and argued that employers should be encouraged to speak more openly with their employees about working arrangements, and that discussing family issues in the workplace should no longer be seen as "taboo." Describing herself as a “firm supporter” of David Cameron, she has previously expressed the belief that power should be devolved as far as possible to local communities. Appointments Ms Leadsom sat on the Conservative Parliamentary Advisory Board where she had responsibility for the public services and family brief. She was promoted to Economic Secretary to the Treasury in the April 2014 reshuffle, which was triggered by the resignation of Maria Miller as Culture Secretary.



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Following the Conservatives' 2015 General Election victory, Andrea Leadsom was appointed Minister of State at the Department for Energy and Climate Change. In June 2010, Ms Leadsom was elected to the Treasury Select Committee, becoming the only woman to serve on the Committee during that term. She was then appointed to the Public Accounts Committee in May 2014, following her elevation to the Treasury. She is also former Chair of the APPG on Sure Start Children's Centres. Views on Brexit Alongside 80 other Conservative MPs, she defied a three-line whip and voted against the Government in favour of an EU referendum. In February 2016, Leadsom announced her decision to campaign for the UK to leave the EU, stating on her website: "This is not a decision that I have made quickly or easily, as I have been a strong advocate for reform within Europe for many years." She proceeded to take up a position on the Vote Leave Campaign Committee, the governing committee of the designated leave campaign during the referendum. During her leadership campaign, she attracted the support of leading Leave campaigner Boris Johnson and Arron Banks, who financed the non-official Leave.EU campaign, leading to fears that a Leadsom-led Tory party would be influenced by UKIP. Leadsom pledged to end freedom of movement but guaranteed to protect the rights of EU nationals living and working in the UK, and pledged to trigger Article 50 immediately if she became Prime Minister. Election to Parliament Having built up over 20 years of experience in the world of banking and finance, Andrea Leadsom was elected to the seat of South Northamptonshire in the 2010 General Election. One of the safer seats in the Houses of Parliament, Ms Leadsom has a majority of over 20,000 votes. She was re-elected in 2015 with a majority of 26,416. Life before Parliament After attending Tonbridge Girls’ Grammar School, Ms Leadson went on to study political science at the University of Warwick. She resigned as Head of Corporate Governance at Invesco Perpetual to pursue a political career and focus on her campaign for the 2010 General Election. She also previously worked as head of Barclay’s Investment Bank team, including during the collapse of Barings Bank in 1995. Personal life Ms Leadsom is married with three children and lives in her constituency. She lists her political hero as Aung San Suu Kyi, admires Barack Obama and states that she would be a Democrat in the US today, but a Republican in Reagan's day.



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Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, Northern Ireland Secretary

Background • Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup • Constituency majority: 15,803

Career Highlights • Minister of State for Security & Immigration, Home Office (Feb 2014-) • Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office (2010-14) • Shadow Minister for Home Affairs (2006-10)

Biography Although Mr Brokenshire supported David Davies during the 2005 leadership campaign, his rapid promotion under Cameron is a reflection of his vision for a more modernised Conservative party. He states his principal political interests as the fields of health, “housing and regeneration” and law and order. As Crime and Security Minister, he was responsible for the fields of counterterrorism; terrorism investigation and prevention; the Justice and Security Bill; communications capabilities; critical national infrastructure; industry; security exports; Home Office science; mass fatalities and civil contingencies; space security; maritime security; cyber-crime and security; and duties in support of the Home Secretary. Brokenshire’s first Parliamentary term was highly active. He made his maiden speech during a debate on the Consumer Credit Bill and served on various committees scrutinising the Consumer Credit Bill, the Equalities Bill, the Police and Justice Bill, the Corporate Manslaughter Bill, the Offender Management Bill and the Companies Bill. Mr Brokenshire backed Theresay May in both voting rounds of the leadership contest to replace David Cameron. Appointments After working his way up through the Conservative ranks, first as a campaigner and then as a press officer, Mr Brokenshire was appointed to the party frontbenches by David Cameron after only 18 months as an MP. Made a junior minister for Crime Prevention at the Home Office in 2010, he was promoted within the Department the following year, when he succeeded Baroness Neville-Jones as Minister of State for Crime and Security in May 2011. Brokenshire was promoted again to role of Immigration and Security Minister within the Home Office in February 2014, after his predecessor Mark Harper resigned. He was appointed to the Privy Council in May 2015. First elected in 2005 to the seat of Hornchurch, boundary changes in south east London during the following years divided his constituency and left him without a seat. Brokenshire was forced to seek selection in other constituencies, trying his hand at several seats before eventually being successful. He ultimately contested the seat of Old Bexley and Sidcup at the 2010 General Election, winning it comfortably and was re-elected in the 2015 election. Brokenshire served as a member of the Constitutional Affairs committee between 2005 and 2006.



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Views on Brexit Brokenshire was in support of remaining inside the European Union during the EU referendum. Life before Parliament An active Conservative since his time studying at Exeter University, Mr Brokenshire was the National Vice-Chairman of the Young Conservatives. He then joined John Major’s campaign tour team during the 1996 European Elections, worked as a press officer at Conservative Central Office during the 1997 General Election, and went on to help Essex Area Conservatives with their media relations during the 2001 Election. At the beginning of his career, Brokenshire also worked as a journalist on local radio and eventually pursued a legal career, working for a large international firm and practicing in corporate law.

Rt Hon Alun Cairns MP, Secretary for Wales

Background • Member for Vale of Glamorgan • Constituency majority: 6,880

Career Highlights • Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Wales (2014-16) • Lord Commissioner , HM Treasury & Whip (2014-16

Biography: Following the shock resignation of Iain Duncan Smith and the appointment of his colleague, Stephen Crabb, as Work and Pensions Secretary, Alun Cairns was promoted to Wales Secretary in March 2016. A former Welsh Assembly member, Mr Cairns served as a junior member of the Wales Office from 2014, presiding over the Government's investment in major infrastructure projects through the regeneration of Cardiff Bay. As Wales Secretary, Mr Cairns held responsibility for pressing ahead with the infrastructure investment and the Wales Bill, designed to change how the Assembly operated and granted new powers, which attracted widespread criticism. Making his maiden speech in the Commons in 2010, he highlighted concerns over hidden levels of deprivation in his constituency, meaning the seat did not receive the same level of support as other areas in Wales. He went on to suggest that increasing the number of defence contracts allocated to areas in Wales would also mean a boost in economic activity. Following a ten-year career with Lloyds Bank, business and finance are Mr Cairns' main areas of expertise, alongside Special educational needs (SEN). In fact, he has described getting the Welsh Assembly to change its position on SEN after arguing that the Welsh Assembly guidance was against the law as one of his greatest political successes.



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Mr Cairns has been very active on the issue of nuisance calls, co-chairing the APPG on Nuisance Calls established in late 2013 and having introduced a Bill under the ten-minute rule motion in November 2013 on the same subject. He also regularly speaks on the issue of rural broadband and mobile coverage, particularly with reference to his own constituency. Following his election to the Welsh Assembly in 1999, the former banker was dubbed the "Cairns terrier" for his close scrutiny of the Executive, and was particularly vocal in his opposition to the offshore wind farm development near Porthcawl. Appointments In July 2014, Mr Cairns was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Wales Office, under newly promoted Secretary of State Stephen Crabb. Following the 2015 General Election, he was also appointed as a Government Whip and following the mini-reshuffle of March 2016 became Secretary of State for Wales. He joined the Privy Council shortly afterwards. Following the October 2013 reshuffle, Mr Cairns was appointed to the Conservative Parliamentary Advisory Board where he took on the housing, transport and environment brief. Reflecting his expertise in investment and business issues, Mr Cairns was appointed as a "Small Business Ambassador" for Wales by Prime Minister David Cameron in May 2013. In his role, Mr Cairns was charged with representing the interests of small business owners in Wales within Government. Mr Cairns has sat on the Public Administration Committee (2011-14) and the Welsh Affairs Committee (2010-11). He is also a member of the APPGs on Nuisance Calls, Children in Wales, and Earth and Environmental Sciences, as well as the Scotch Whisky and Spirits Group. He is also Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Internet, Communications and Technology Forum (PICTFOR). Election to Parliament Mr Cairns was elected MP for the Vale of Glamorgan at the 2010 General Election, taking the seat from Labour. However, he almost never made it to the Commons after his candidacy was suspended pending an investigation into comments he had made on the radio referring to Italians as "greasy wops”. After apologising for the incident, he was allowed to run as the Conservative candidate and went on to win the seat formerly head by Labour’s John Smith. He was re-elected at the 2015 General Election with a majority of 6,880. Life before Parliament A Conservative member of the Welsh Assembly for South Wales West since 1999, Mr Cairns’ successful Westminster bid would ordinarily have prompted a by-election. Instead, he stood down from the Assembly at the May 2011 election. In 2007, Mr Cairns became Shadow Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills in the Assembly. He also served as the Party’s spokesperson for economic development and transport, and as Chair of the Finance Committee. Prior to becoming an AM, Mr Cairns enjoyed a decade-long career working for Lloyds Bank Group as a Business Development Consultant, and subsequently as a Field Manager.



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In 1995, he served as Deputy Chair of the Welsh Young Conservatives, and in 1997 he contested the constituency of Gower at the General Election. His first job was as a petrol pump attendant. Personal life A fluent Welsh speaker, Mr Cairns was born near Swansea and schooled at Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Pontardawe and Ysgol Ddwyeithog Ystalyfera, before attending the University of Wales. His father had been a welder with British Steel, while his mother ran a grocery shop. Mr Cairns cites his vicarious experience of this as having raised his awareness of political issues. He also holds an MBA, completed as a mature student, during which he studied corporate location and inward investment.

Rt Hon David Guake MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury

Background: • Member for South West Hertfordshire • Constituency majority: 23263

Career highlights • Financial Secretary (HM Treasury) (Jul 2014 – present) • Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury) (May 2010 - Jul 2014)

Biography In Since his election to parliament in 2005, Mr Gauke contributed to a number of proceedings while a backbench MP on matters such as crime and anti-social behaviour, erosion of the green belt, threats to local healthcare services and burdensome regulations. Appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury in 2010, Mr Gauke was one of the youngest Conservative Ministers in Government, following a stint on the Treasury Committee, and the Shadow Treasury team. Driving forward the Conservative's programme of fiscal austerity, Mr Gauke has primarily focused on tax simplification and corporation tax reform. Campaigning in a local capacity, Mr Gauke has voiced concern about transport infrastructure in his constituency, and the number of school places. Mr Gauke’s policy interests include tax, the economy, education, anti-social behaviour and Europe. Gauke backed Theresa May for leadership in both voting rounds in the leadership contest to replace David Cameron.


P A G E

Appointments As part of David Cameron's July 2014 cabinet reshuffle, Mr Gauke was appointed as Financial Secretary to the Treasury following Nicky Morgan's departure to become Education Secretary. In 2010, Mr Gauke was appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, where he was responsible for strategic oversight of the UK tax system, corporate and small business taxation and international tax issues. In May 2011, Mr Gauke was awarded the accolade of 'tax personality of the year.' Commenting on the award, editor of Taxation Magazine - the award's sponsor - praised Mr Gauke for his "deliberative approach to the making of tax policy." Opposed to UK membership of the European single currency, Mr Gauke is also on record as supporting UK withdrawal from the European Union. As an opposition MP, he was Shadow Treasury Minister from 2007 to 2010. Mr Gauke was appointed to the Privy Council in July 2016. Before his promotion to Conservative frontbench, Mr Gauke served on the Treasury Committee from 2006 to 2007 and the Procedure Committee from 2005 to 2007. Election to Parliament Mr Gauke was elected to Parliament in 2005, representing the safe Conservative seat of South West Hertfordshire. He unsuccessfully contested Brent East at the 2001 election, losing to Labour who polled more than 63 per cent of the vote. He was re-elected to Parliament with a majority of 23,263. Views on Brexit An opponent of Brexit, Gauke campaigned for the UK to remain in the EU. Life before Parliament After graduating from university, Mr Gauke spent a year working as a Parliamentary Researcher before for Conservative MP Barry Legg before training as a solicitor. He qualified in 1997 and worked in the City until his election to Parliament. Personal life Mr Gauke went to school in Ipswich before reading law at Oxford University. He is married to Rachel and the couple have three young sons. The family live in Chorleywood. In his spare time he enjoys cricket, football, reading and country walks.




P A G E

Biography As the only Conservative MP to represent a Scottish Westminster seat, and a former Member of the Scottish Parliament, Mr Mundell is well qualified for his role as Scotish Secretary. He previously served as Scotland Office Minister, during which time his responsibilities included supporting Liberal Democrat Coalition Scottish Secretary Michael Moore on Ministerial matters, and “[engaging] with Scottish stakeholders on a wide range of matters relating to the UK Parliament”. Noted for his sometime liberal views, Mr Mundell joined the Young Conservatives at the age of 14, but subsequently defected to the SDP. Of this move, he has said that he was attracted by the “completely new opportunity to wipe the slate clean”, adding that the first Thatcher Government had become “a bit bogged down” In 1989, he applied to be a Liberal Democrat General Election candidate, but was rejected. He later described himself as having been “very ill-prepared” for the requisite interview. Although an active member in the Scottish Parliament during his time as an MSP, he has at times courted controversy with colleagues. In 2007, a leaked memo revealed that he felt there was a “simple lack of thinkers” amongst Scottish MSPs. He later insisted that he had “complete confidence” in the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Annabel Goldie. In 2006, he abstained in the Second Reading of the Education and Inspections Bill despite David Cameron's support for the legislation. He resigned as an MSP upon being elected an MP, and a year later highlighted concerns over the West Lothian question and the need to resolve the longstanding issue of Scottish MPs being allowed to vote on English-only matters at Westminster. Mundell backed Theresa May for leadership in both voting rounds in the leadership contest to replace David Cameron. Appointments The Conservatives' sole MP representing a Scottish constituency, David Mundell was almost guaranteed a position in the Coalition Government, after having served in David Cameron's Shadow Cabinet.


Background: • Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale • Constituency majority: 798

Career highlights • Secretary of State for Scotland (May 2015 – present) • Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office) (May 2010 - May

2015) • Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland (May 2005 - May 2010)

Rt Hon David Mundell MP, Secretary of State for Scotland



P A G E

Having served in the Scotland Office under the Liberal Democrats for five years, Mr Mundell was promoted to Scottish Secretary in May 2015. In November 2011, following Ruth Davidson's election as the new Leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Mr Mundell was appointed Interim Party Chair, but the Chairship has since passed to Richard Keen QC. Before joining the Shadow Cabinet, Mr Mundell had already served as vice-chair of the APPGs on Scotch Whisky and the West Coast Main Line. Mr Mundell was a member of the Scottish Affairs Committee between 2005 and 2010. Election to Parliament Mr Mundell shocked pundits by taking the newly-created seat of Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale in 2005, after commentators anticipated a Labour victory. He was re-elected in the 2015 General Election with a majority of 798, down from 4,194 in 2010. Views on Brexit An opponent of Brexit, Mundell campaigned for the UK to remain in the EU. Life before Parliament Before entering the world of politics, Mr Mundell pursued a career as a solicitor in a private legal practice in Glasgow, before becoming Group Legal Advisor for Scotland at BT in 1991. He then worked as BT Scotland’s Head of National Affairs until he became an MSP. Prior to his 2005 election success, Mr Mundell represented the Conservatives in the Scottish Parliament, where he was the party's Spokesperson for transport, IT and telecommunications. Seen as one of the most energetic Tories in the Scottish Parliament, he was a vociferous critic of the Scottish Executive's record on transport, accusing it of betraying motorists. He was the MSP who secured the most Members' debates on issues of local concern in the Scottish Parliament. He served as a local councillor while a student. Personal life Originally from Dumfries, Mr Mundell attended Lockerbie Academy and went on to study Law at Edinburgh University. He has also graduated with an MBA from the University of Strathclyde Business School. He has three grown-up children, two sons and a daughter, and is a member of the Church of Scotland. In January 2016, Mr Mundell revealed he had resolved to "come out publically as gay". He said, "Over time, I came to understand that, for me, the only way to be truly happy on a personal level is to acknowledge in public as well as in private, who I am." Mr Mundell was the first openly gay Conservative Cabinet minister.




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