Here is a list of new Ministerial appointments –
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The Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP, Secretary of State for International Trade, and President of the Board of Trade, has also been appointed Minister for Women and Equalities.
Her Majesty has also been pleased to approve that Zac Goldsmith be sworn of Her Majesty’s most Honourable Privy Council.
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Since Boris Johnson is seeking a general election, and there will surely be one sooner or later, all these appointments have a bit of a provisional air.
They come about because of the recent run of resignations from government – Amber Rudd’s and Jo Johnson’s having caught the eye – and consequent promotions.
Zac Goldsmith is a long-time committed Johnson supporter who is in danger of losing his Richmond Park seat. That he is now a Privy Councillor and has a seat around the Cabinet table may be a consolation.
And it would never have done to have Therese Coffey, who voted against same sex marriage both recently for Northern Ireland, and in England and Wales back in 2013, as Minister for Women and Equalities.
Or at least not in today’s Conservative Party. Instead, Liz Truss will juggle the post while also serving as Secretary of State for International Trade.