Amber Rudd has returned to Theresa May’s Cabinet and pleaded with Tory rebels to back the British Prime Minister and her Brexit deal.
The new Work and Pensions Secretary immediately began efforts to shore up Mrs May’s embattled position, telling Conservative MPs: “This is not a time for changing our leader.”
The British Prime Minister’s critics believe they have the numbers required to trigger a confidence vote within days.
Mrs May also appointed Stephen Barclay as her new Brexit Secretary, but the role has been further downgraded as the British Prime Minister will in future take sole control of negotiations on EU withdrawal.
Leave-supporting Mr Barclay’s job will be limited to the domestic delivery of EU withdrawal, preparations for Brexit either with or without a deal and shepherding legislation through Parliament. He said:
“We now need to keep up the momentum to finalise the withdrawal agreement and outline political declaration and deliver a Brexit that works for the whole UK.”
The reshuffle came just hours after Michael Gove offered the British Prime Minister a lifeline by staying on in his Cabinet role.
Mr Barclay’s appointment came after Mr Gove reportedly turned down the post, saying he would only take it if he could renegotiate the EU withdrawal agreement.
Downing Street declined to say whether the Brexit Secretary post had been offered to anyone else before the North-East Cambridgeshire MP, saying only: “He was the Prime Minister’s choice for the job.”
The appointments followed the resignations of Dominic Raab and Esther McVey over the Brexit plan and came amid mounting expectation that Mrs May’s leadership will be put to a vote of MPs.
In her first act in her new job, Ms Rudd delivered a pointed message to her colleagues: “This is a time for pulling together, for making sure we remember who we are here to serve, who we are here to help: that’s the whole of the country.
“I worry sometimes colleagues are too concerned about the Westminster bubble rather than keeping their eye on what our job is – to serve people.”
Ms Rudd was a prominent Remain campaigner during the referendum and her return to the Cabinet, in place of Brexiteer Ms McVey who resigned on Thursday, may do little to bridge divides within the Tory ranks.
The rehabilitation of Ms Rudd, who quit as Home Secretary in April in a row over immigration targets, comes after a report concluded she had been let down by her officials.
Ministerial roles went to Stephen Hammond in the Health Department and John Penrose in the Northern Ireland Office, while Kwasi Kwarteng takes up a junior role in Mr Barclay’s department. Mrs May’s position was bolstered by support from Brexiteer ministers Mr Gove and Liam Fox.
Environment Secretary Mr Gove was asked if he had confidence in the British Prime Minister and replied: “I absolutely do.” He added: “I am looking forward to continuing to work with all colleagues in Government and in Parliament to get the best future for Britain.”
International Trade Secretary Dr Fox said he had “full confidence in the Prime Minister” and added “ultimately I hope that across Parliament we’ll recognise that a deal is better than no deal”.
But Brexit-supporting ministers led by Andrea Leadsom are reportedly set to work together on measures to make the deal more acceptable to them. The Commons Leader is understood to be working with allies to decide what can be done “to get it in a better place”, a source said.
In an effort to sell her deal directly to the public, Mrs May took calls on a half-hour phone-in on LBC. One caller told her that Jacob Rees-Mogg would make a better leader, while another said she had “appeased” the EU like Neville Chamberlain in his negotiations with Hitler.
Former culture secretary John Whittingdale and ex-minister Mark Francois were among the latest Tories to submit letters of no confidence in Mrs May as Conservative leader.
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