Greg Clark has kept his role as secretary of state for business and Claire Perry has been given a beefed-up role as energy minister following yesterday’s (8 January) Cabinet reshuffle by Theresa May.
No 10 Downing Street announced late yesterday afternoon that Clark, who has been secretary of state for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) since the department’s establishment following the June 2016 EU referendum, would retain the post.
However, the announcement followed reports Jeremy Hunt, health secretary of state had turned down the position after it was offered to him earlier in the afternoon.
Clark had been tipped for the chop from the BEIS department in a number of press reports in the run up to the reshuffle with one No 10 insider anonymously labelling him “dead wood”.
Clark was inside No 10 for more than an hour before the announcement he would remain in post.
Yesterday evening also saw a promotion for Perry, whose job title has changed to minister for energy.
She was previously minister of state for climate change and industry at BEIS. While retaining the rank of minister of state, Perry will attend meetings of the Cabinet.
But in what turned out to be a more limited reshuffle than had been expected, Michael Gove retained his role as secretary of state at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The government has said there will be a number of changes to junior ministerial posts today (9 January).
Commenting on the reshuffle, Liberal Democrat Alistair Carmichael, said: “Theresa May wanted to reassert her authority but has come out of this looking weaker than ever.”