Steve Barclay, the former Minister for the Cabinet Office and Downing Street Chief of Staff, has been named as the Health and Social Care Secretary, after previous incumbent Sajid Javid resigned.
Mr Barclay has been MP for North East Cambridgeshire since 2010, having previously served as Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union from 2018 to 2020, Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2020 to 2021 and Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 2021 to 2022, and the Downing Street Chief of Staff in 2022.
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‘It is an honour to take up the position of Health and Social Care Secretary. Our NHS and social care staff have showed us time and again – throughout the pandemic and beyond – what it means to work with compassion and dedication to transform lives,’ said Mr Barclay.
‘This government is investing more than ever before in our NHS and care services to beat the COVID-19 backlogs, recruit 50,000 more nurses, reform social care and ensure patients across the country can access the care they need.’
Previous Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigned on 5 July, citing concerns over the direction of the government.
‘It was a privilege to have been asked to come back into Government to serve as Secretary of State for Health & Social Care at such a critical time for our country,’ said Mr Javid.
‘I have given every ounce of energy to this task, and am incredibly proud of what we have achieved. The UK has led the world in learning to live with Covid. Thanks to the amazing rollout of our booster programme, investment in treatments, and innovations in the way we deliver healthcare, the British people have enjoyed months more freedom than other comparable countries.’