Matt Hancock has been replaced by Ben Gummer as minister for the Cabinet Office after just over a year in the job, Downing Street has confirmed, as Theresa May put the finishing touches to her new front-bench team.
Hancock took up the reins at the Cabinet Office, responsible for the running of the civil service as well as coordinating work across government departments, in the wake of last year’s general election. He replaced the long-serving Francis Maude.
A short statement from 10 Downing Street, issued on Thursday evening, read: “The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Ben Gummer MP as minister for the Cabinet Office.
New Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy swallows up DECC and BIS — full details and reaction
What’s Theresa May like as a boss? We asked former Border Force chief Tony Smith
It added: “There will be no further ministerial appointments this evening.”
Hancock was seen as a close ally of George Osborne, the former chancellor who was replaced by Philip Hammond on Wednesday. He launched a wide-ranging civil service workforce plan only this week, and was viewed as the driving force behind recent efforts to improve the civil service’s recruitment of people from low socio-economic backgrounds.
He is replaced by Gummer, who was elected as the member of parliament for Ipswich in 2010, and has served as a junior minister in the department for health.
The 38-year-old new MCO is also the son of former Conservative environment secretary John Gummer, and he campaigned to keep Britain in the European Union during the recent referendum campaign.
For a full list of all the latest Cabinet appointments, visit PoliticsHome.com