The Conservative Party has announced a reshuffle as former ministers who remain as MPs after Labour’s election victory make the transition into becoming the shadow cabinet.
Lord Cameron has resigned as foreign secretary, being replaced by his deputy Andrew Mitchell in the shadow role.
And, despite clinging on to a seat in last week’s vote, Richard Holden has quit as Tory party chairman.
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Simon Case, the head of the civil service, has returned to work after more than two months on sick leave.
The cabinet secretary, who has not publicly disclosed his illness, has been attending meetings in the last few days, the Politics At Jack And Sam’s Podcast revealed today.
Mr Case was originally due to be off for four weeks from 23 October but this period was extended through the rest of the autumn.
Listen to the podcast below for more on Simon Case and a look ahead at the week’s political news.
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He was unable to attend as a witness before the COVID inquiry, although Heather Hallett, the COVID inquiry chair, said he will still be asked to give evidence to the inquiry at a later date.
She allowed him to skip his scheduled questioning after reviewing his medical records.
Mr Case was also absent during a reshuffle and the constitutional and political turmoil of the Rwanda Bill, while the civil service received criticism for factually inaccurate social media posts over the legal immigration change.
More on Politics At Jack And Sam’s Podcast
Some senior figures in government had been unsure whether he would ever return to the critical role.
However, he attended a gathering of permanent secretaries at an away day before Christmas and has been seen in meetings in the last few days.
Read more: PM ‘didn’t doubt’ Rwanda scheme when chancellor Peter Bone’s partner chosen for by-election Economy to the fore as election campaign begins
At this point, he indicated that while still recovering, he expected to return at some point.
Civil servants have not been informed more widely that Mr Case is back at work, however, and there is some anger about being kept in the dark.
The job had been split between four different permanent secretaries in his absence.
Ben Wallace – the longest-serving Conservative defence secretary – is considering leaving government in an anticipated autumn reshuffle, Sky News understands.
It follows a failed UK bid to make Mr Wallace, 53, the next head of NATO and as the prime minister reportedly prepares to refresh his top team ahead of next year’s election.
The possible departure of the defence secretary – a close ally of former prime minister Boris Johnson – was first revealed by The Times.
A source told Sky News that Mr Wallace would likely make a decision on whether to stay or go next month. If he chooses to leave then he would also stand down as an MP.
It is thought that any such move would be a personal decision and nothing to do with Rishi Sunak or any issues related to the Conservative Party.
Speculation about the defence secretary’s fate has been mounting for weeks, with officials inside the Ministry of Defence wondering who might replace him.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan, a foreign office minister and former defence minister, Tom Tugendhat, the security minister, and Jeremy Quinn, a cabinet office minister who is also a former defence minister, are among the names being speculated on.
“Not sure who will replace (him) but Jeremy Quinn a strong possibility,” one source said.
The Times said John Glen, chief secretary to the Treasury, was the frontrunner.
Hugely popular within the party, Mr Wallace is the longest, continuously-serving minister in government, having survived five prime ministers since 2014, including as security minister and then – for the past four years – overseeing the Ministry of Defence.
In his current role, he has been a leading voice pushing the UK and its allies to do ever more to support Ukraine.
Mr Wallace is also known for speaking his mind and using colourful language that has on occasion generated unfortunate headlines.
It happened at a major NATO summit this week when he revealed to a group of journalists that he had told Ukraine the UK was not an “Amazon” delivery service for weapons and that people “want to see gratitude”.
It prompted Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, to say in a press conference at the summit in Lithuania: “I believe that we were always grateful to the UK.”
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0:54
Zelenskyy has ‘expressed gratitude’, Sunak says
Mr Zelenskyy then, rather comically, asked his defence minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, who was sitting in the audience, whether there was a problem with his relationship with Mr Wallace.
“Why don’t you extend words of gratitude to him?” the president said. Breaking into English, he added: “Call him, please, today.”
Yet, the point Mr Wallace had been trying to make had been a valid one – a bit of friendly advice to a country he respects about the need to consider the political reality in certain nations where not everyone is supportive of giving more weapons and money to Ukraine.
The defence secretary has spent much of his time in office battling for more funding for the armed forces at a time of growing threats and after decades of cost-saving cuts.
Read more politics news Johnson calls for NATO timetable for Ukraine to join alliance Thousands of civil service posts to be cut Liz Truss paid £15,770 an hour for second jobs
Image: Mr Wallace is the longest, continuously-serving minister in government. Pic: AP
This has on occasion created tensions with Mr Sunak, first when he was chancellor and then as prime minister.
The two men are not known to have a close relationship but the strong support for Mr Wallace within the Conservative Party will make him difficult to sack.
The defence secretary turned down the chance to run for prime minister last year even though he had been the clear favourite to replace Mr Johnson.
Another consideration for Mr Wallace is the fact that he will effectively lose his constituency of Wyre and Preston North at the general election under boundary changes.
It means, to stay on as an MP, he would need to become the Tory candidate in another seat – which could be done should he choose to stay.
Greg Hands has replaced Nadhim Zahawi as Conservative Party chairman as Rishi Sunak begins the first reshuffle of his cabinet, Sky News understands.
Mr Hands, MP for Chelsea and Fulham, takes over the role that will involve leading the Tories through the next election, which they are currently set to lose to Labour.
His appointment comes just over a week after former chair Mr Zahawi was sacked over the handling of his tax affairs.
Sky News also understands business, energy and industrial strategy secretary Grant Shapps will be made energy security secretary in a newly created department dedicated to energy.
And former Tory leadership contender Kemi Badenoch is to be moved from international trade secretary to business and trade secretary, taking over part of the job Mr Shapps leaves vacant and maintaining her previous role.
Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan is understood to be moving to what Sky News believes will be the new Department of Science, Innovation and Technology.
Who is Greg Hands?
Mr Hands is well-liked by fellow Tories and has been an MP since 2005, first in Hammersmith and Fulham, then Chelsea and Fulham since its creation in 2010.
Seen as a steady pair of hands, he has remained as a minister for the most part of the past eight years after first serving in David Cameron’s cabinet as chief secretary to the Treasury.
A staunch remainer, he was demoted by Theresa May to a junior minister at the Department for International Trade then was also made Minister for London.
He resigned in 2018 over his opposition to Heathrow’s third runway but Boris Johnson returned him to trade policy minister before promoting him to business, energy and clean growth minister.
Liz Truss made him trade policy minister days before she stepped down and Mr Sunak kept him on.
The New York and UK state-school educated politician joined the Conservative Party as a student at Cambridge before spending eight years as a banker in London and New York.
A polyglot who speaks five European languages, Mr Hands’ gained his campaigning experience fairly early on in his political career when he had to fight for the newly formed Chelsea and Fulham seat after his constituency was split in two.
As a Tory councillor in Hammersmith and Fulham before becoming an MP, he built up a formidable reputation as a local campaigner, with an impressive knowledge for knowing local people’s names and issues they stood for, Conservative Home reported in 2014.
As party chairman, he will be in charge of helping the Tories fight the next election, which at the moment they are predicted to lose to Labour.
He also served as a whip then deputy chief whip under Mr Cameron so has experience in coordinating his fellow MPs – an essential to fight the next election.
