Steve Barclay has replaced Sajid Javid as Health Secretary.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made Steve Barclay his new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
It comes after Sajid Javid resigned from the role after saying he had lost faith in the Prime Minister’s leadership and believes the Conservative party no longer has the support of the public.
Mr Johnson’s new health secretary has represented North East Cambridgeshire since 2010 in a safe Conservative seat.
Who is Mr Barclay?
A qualified solicitor, he worked for the Financial Services Authority and was head of anti-money laundering at Barclays Bank before starting his political career.
Mr Barclay was a vocal pro-Brexit campaigner and served as Brexit secretary from November 2018 until January 2020 when the UK left the European Union.
Most recently, he has served as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Mr Johnson’s Chief of Staff after a shake-up following the Partygate scandal earlier this year.
According to the political website TheyWorkForYou, Mr Barclay on the vast majority of issues votes the same way as other Conservative MPs and very recently voted in support of the controversial amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill.
He has no known experience in health or social care apart from a brief stint as a junior health minister.
An honour.
Responding to his appointment, Mr Barlcay said, “It is an honour to take up the position of Health and Social Care Secretary.
“Our NHS and social care staff have showed us time and again – throughout the pandemic and beyond – what it means to work with compassion and dedication to transform lives.
“This government is investing more than ever before in our NHS and care services to beat the Covid backlogs, recruit 50,000 more nurses, reform social care and ensure patients across the country can access the care they need.”
