By Richard Johnstone | 8 October 2013
Three new junior ministers have been appointed to the Department for Communities and Local Government following David Cameron’s government reshuffle, which concluded yesterday evening.
Two ministers – housing minister Mark Prisk and communities minister Don Foster – have left the department. Prisk has returned to the backbenches, while Foster becomes the Liberal Democrat chief whip, in place of Alastair Carmichael. Carmichael replaced Michael Moore as Scottish secretary, in the only Cabinet-level change in the reshuffle.
The three new ministers appointed to DCLG are Conservatives Kris Hopkins and Baroness Stowell and LibDem Stephen Williams.
All three have been appointed at under secretary of state level, meaning that the housing post, held by Prisk until yesterday, has been downgraded from a minister of state brief. Although the responsibilities of the new ministers have yet to be confirmed, it is thought Hopkins will take on the housing responsibilities.
Among the other ministerial changes announced, cities minister Greg Clark was transferred from the Treasury, where he was also financial secretary, to the Cabinet Office. As well as retaining the cities brief, Clark will be responsible for constitutional issues, according to a release from Number 10 Downing Street.
Within the Treasury, Sajid Javid has been promoted from economic secretary to financial secretary, with Conservative Nicky Morgan replacing him as economic secretary.
There were no ministerial changes at the Department for Education, while there was only one alteration at the Department of Health. Jane Ellison has been appointed as parliamentary under secretary, replacing former public health minister Anna Soubry, who has been moved to the Ministry of Defence.
In the Department for Work and Pensions, Esther McVey has been moved from minister from disabled people to employment minister, while Mike Penning has been added to the ministerial team.
A number of changes have been made at the Department for Transport. LibDem Norman Baker has been replaced by fellow LibDem Baroness Kramer as minister of state, while Conservative Robert Goodwill has also been appointed as parliamentary under secretary.
Baker joins the Home Office, replacing another LibDem, Jeremy Browne. He will serve as minister for crime prevention.
