21 April 2023 , 12:51
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Rishi Sunak has announced Dominic Raab's successors following his dramatic resignation today.
Alex Chalk got the nod to fill the vacant Justice Secretary role, Downing Street has confirmed, while former Tory chairman Oliver Dowden will take over as Deputy PM.
Mr Sunak was forced into the mini-reshuffle after Mr Raab quit following a bombshell bullying report published today.
He spoke with Mr Raab this morning, but Downing Street would not confirm if the former cabinet member was encouraged to go.
Mr Chalk, 46, who served as Solicitor General for England and Wales between 2021 and 2022, was promoted from his role as a minister in the MOD.
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Mr Dowden, who is currently Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, will take on Mr Raab's role as Deputy PM.
Oliver Dowden has been named deputy Prime Minister (PA)The swift appointment of Mr Chalk makes the Cheltenham MP the 11th person appointed Justice Secretary since the Conservatives took power in 2010.
He and Mr Sunak are also both Old Wykehamists, former pupils at Winchester College, and Mr Chalk was among the ministers who joined the large-scale resignation that helped spell the end of Boris Johnson's premiership.
Replacing Mr Raab, he will take on responsibility for prisons, courts and a host of other issues including his predecessor's controversial Bill of Rights plan.
Mr Dowden was a vocal backer for Mr Sunak in both Tory leadership contests last year, with his entry to No 10 leading to his return to the frontbench and to the senior Cabinet Office roles.
Rishi Sunak has filled the two roles vacated by Dominic Raab (PA)The loss of crunch by-elections in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton had triggered Mr Dowden's resignation as party chairman in Mr Johnson's Government.
In a tweet, he said he was "deeply honoured" by the appointment.
There were also new roles for James Cartlidge, who becomes an MOD minister, while Gareth Davies was appointed Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.
Chloe Smith - who is standing down at the next General Election - was promoted to Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology while Michelle Donelan is on maternity leave.
Changes confirmed today were:
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- Alex Chalk KC MP as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice;
- James Cartlidge MP as a Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence;
- Gareth Davies MP as Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.
- The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP, has also been appointed Deputy Prime Minister.
Other appointments announced by the Government were:
- Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP as a Minister on Leave (Secretary of State);
- Rt Hon Chloe Smith MP as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology;
- Julia Lopez MP as a Minister on Leave (Minister of State);
- Rt Hon Sir John Whittingdale OBE MP as a Minister of State jointly in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
These will take effect when maternity leave is triggered.