TORY Education Secretary Nicky Morgan and ex-Education Secretary Michael Gove were both sacked from the Tory cabinet yesterday as new Tory PM Theresa May announced her new cabinet.
Cameron’s co-leader George Osborne was also sacked as Chancellor and replaced by Philip Hammond. It was reported yesterday morning that Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt had also been sacked after being driven back by the junior doctors struggle.
However, after an urgent meeting at Number 10, it was announced that he is to stay in his post to see through the imposition of a contract which junior doctors rightly insist is ‘unfair and unsafe for patients’. Gove was sacked as Justice Secretary and replaced by Liz Truss.
Nicky Morgan has been replaced as Education Secretary by ex-International Development Secretary Justine Greening. Culture Secretary John Whittingdale has also been sacked. Amber Rudd took over in May’s former role as Home Secretary,
Lead Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson was made foreign secretary.
Eurosceptic David Davis was made Brexit Secretary, a newly invented role, and Liam Fox took up a new post of Secretary of State for International Trade. This means that three Tories who are massively in favour of Brexit are being put into the frontline of implementing it. Michael Fallon was retained as Defence Secretary.
• As part of her cabinet appointments, May has moved the Universities and Skills brief from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills to the Department for Education. As a result, lecturers’ union UCU has called for the Higher Education Bill to be scrapped.
The union said that the cabinet reshuffle and changes to the departments tasked with implementing the Bill meant any attempt to ‘carry on regardless now would be absurd’. UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: ‘Now the Universities and Skills brief has been moved into a different government department it is time to put the Bill to one side.
‘We would like to see a non-partisan inquiry looking at how we can safeguard the future of our brilliant universities and colleges, and ensure that staff and students from around the world continue to be welcome here.’
Meanwhile, civil servants’ union PCS warned yesterday that May’s moves to scrap some government departments and merge others must not be used as an excuse to sack civil servants and make further cuts.
