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South Swindon MP Robert Buckland re-appointed Secretary of State for Wales

06 Sep 2022 7 minute read
Welsh Secretary Robert Buckland. Photo Jonathan Brady PA Images

South Swindon MP Robert Buckland has been reappointed Secretary of State for Wales in new Prime Minister Liz Truss’ government.

He was one of the last of the Secretary for State posts to be announced, in a process that began at 7pm.

Llanelli-born Sir Robert Buckland was originally appointed to the role in an interim capacity after Welsh Secretary Simon Hart resigned in a bid to encourage former Prime Minister Boris Johnson out of office.

Despite there being 13 Welsh Conservative MPs to choose from, however, Liz Truss has stuck with him. It had bene heavily briefed before the reshuffle that he would stay in post after he switched from supporting Rishi Sunak to Liz Truss mid-campaign.

Speaking to the Swindon Advertiser today however he said that he backed Liz Truss for the good of the party and the country.

“I saw Liz grow in stature and confidence and ability through the test of the leadership process and the long process that we’ve seen,” he said.

“I had concerns that I felt the campaign I had been supporting wasn’t in touch with some of the issues I had thought it was going to be.

“In particular I thought there were contradictions in the initial stance holding firm on no tax cuts and bearing down on inflation and promises made in the campaign, which seemed to contradict that,” he said.

“It’s more about the country and party now. There’s a looming tidal wave of rising energy costs which will affect us all and that needs addressing by the Prime Minister in the first few days.”

Plaid Cymru Westminster Leader Liz Saville-Roberts reacted: “Hardly a ringing endorsement of the 13-strong group of Welsh Tory MPs that not a single one is deemed qualified for the job by Liz Truss.”

Other appointments

Liz Truss rewarded close allies Kwasi Kwarteng and Therese Coffey with top Cabinet jobs as she culled a number of prominent Rishi Sunak supporters during the major Government reshuffle.

The new Prime Minister appointed Mr Kwarteng as Chancellor and Ms Coffey as Deputy Prime Minister and Health Secretary, as she made James Cleverly her successor as Foreign Secretary on Tuesday.

Former attorney general Suella Braverman was appointed Home Secretary, meaning that for the first time in history none of the great offices of state are held by white men.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the hardline Brexiteer who has decried “climate alarmism”, was appointed as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

First Ms Truss despatched former deputy PM Dominic Raab and cabinet colleagues Grant Shapps, George Eustice and Steve Barclay to the backbenches after they supported her rival in the Tory leadership contest.

Ms Coffey, the former work and pensions secretary who is regarded as the Prime Minister’s closest friend in Westminster, replaced Mr Raab as the second in command after he described Ms Truss’s tax plans as an “electoral suicide note”.

And she took on Mr Barclay’s health brief after he too came out in support for Mr Sunak, the former chancellor who Ms Truss beat in a poll of Tory members.

Mr Kwarteng, a long-term ally of Ms Truss’s, entered the Treasury to replace Nadhim Zahawi, who was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in the Cabinet Office.

Kemi Badenoch, who was popular among the Tory party’s right during her failed leadership bid, was made International Trade Secretary.

Brandon Lewis, whose resignation as Northern Ireland secretary piled pressure on Boris Johnson to resign from No 10, replaced Mr Raab as Justice Secretary.

Mr Lewis, who once admitted a piece of Brexit-related legislation would break international law “in a very specific and limited way”, ultimately backed Ms Truss in the leadership contest.

Kit Malthouse, a dogged ally of Mr Johnson, was made Education Secretary.

Simon Clarke, who played a key role in the Truss campaign, was promoted from being a Treasury minister to Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary, while Chloe Smith became Work and Pensions Secretary.

Penny Mordaunt, who failed to make it into the final stage of the leadership contest after a jump in support for Ms Truss among Tory MPs, was appointed Leader of the House of Commons.

Jake Berry, the Truss-backing chairman of the Northern Research Group of Tory MPs, returned to Government after a two-year absence as minister without portfolio.

Ben Wallace will continue in the role of Defence Secretary, as he plays a vital role in supporting Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine’s fight against Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

Former transport minister Wendy Morton will attend Cabinet as chief whip, making her responsible for party discipline in the Commons.

Ms Truss was remaking the top of Government in her own image from No 10, after she began the sackings in her House of Commons office shortly after making her first speech as PM.

Mr Raab, who was justice secretary as well as second in command to Mr Johnson, had not expected to continue his run in Government, having been a vocal critic of Ms Truss.

The MP for Esher and Walton said: “I look forward to supporting the Government from the backbenches.”

Mr Shapps, who was replaced by former international trade secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan, also tweeted his own exit as Transport Secretary but did not make the same remarks of support for the new Tory leader.

Instead, the Welwyn Hatfield MP said he looks forward to being “a strong, independent voice on the backbenches”.

Mr Eustice pledged to “offer scrutiny” from the backbenches as the Camborne and Redruth MP was sacked as environment secretary and replaced by trade minister Ranil Jayawardena.

Former chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris was appointed Northern Ireland Secretary, replacing Mr Sunak backer Shailesh Vara.

Mr Barclay, the MP for North East Cambridgeshire who had been health secretary for Mr Johnson’s final months in office, wished Ms Truss “every success for the future”.

Priti Patel, who did not endorse any candidate, announced her departure on Monday before Ms Truss entered No 10 after her Home Office job was publicly linked with Ms Braverman.

Ms Braverman also ran for the Tory leadership, decrying what she termed “woke rubbish” and pledging to take the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Johnny Mercer, who did not say who he was backing in the race, said he was “disappointed” to be sacked as veterans’ affairs minister, but accepted the Prime Minister is “entitled to reward her supporters”.

The Plymouth Moor View MP also suggested he could quit the Commons, before his wife Felicity Cornelius-Mercer branded Ms Truss an “imbecile”.

Earlier, Nadine Dorries, who had backed Ms Truss, confirmed that she had been asked to stay on as culture secretary but had decided that she also would be returning to the backbenches.

She was replaced by Michelle Donelan, who spent 36 hours as Mr Johnson’s education secretary before resigning in his final hours before he agreed to stand down.

Mr Sunak, the former chancellor whose resignation helped trigger the downfall of Mr Johnson, has also made clear he did not expect to be offered a new job.

His supporters, however, have been urging Ms Truss to appoint an “inclusive” Cabinet and not simply surround herself with loyalists in the way that Mr Johnson was accused of doing.

Greg Clark was out as levelling up secretary, a role he was appointed to as Mr Johnson prepared to announce his own resignation after a series of scandals.

Andrew Stephenson, who remained publicly neutral during the contest as Conservative Party chairman, also said he was leaving the role.


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Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago

I see Robert Buckland got way. A true blue toxic Tory. 💸🇬🇧

Cai Wogan Jones
Cai Wogan Jones
1 year ago

It has never been clearer that the qualification for advancement, office and honours as a Conservative politician from Wales is a ruthless readiness to f*** the communities that raised you.

Richard
Richard
1 year ago

Da iawn Robert. Your loyalty to your Country and Primciples during the Leadership campaign has marked you out as a man of integrety,.

Clear in your place as a servant of your people and nation….your name will be remembered in our history.

Last edited 1 year ago by Richard
Gareth C
Gareth C
1 year ago

Having dispensed with the B team I guess we are now faced with the C team for the next 2 years!

Maglocunos
Maglocunos
1 year ago

Let’s give a nice warm Welsh ‘croeso cynnes Cymreig’ to our not-so new governor general!

But does Mrs 0.17%, yes that’s right, zero point one seven percent not have any MPs who actually represent seats in Wales??

.

Maglocunos
Maglocunos
1 year ago
Reply to  Maglocunos

Answer for the unaware. Yes she does but it seems none of them are fit to replace the Honourable Member for South Swindon. Electors of Wales, take note!

.

Gareth
Gareth
1 year ago
Reply to  Maglocunos

But Mr Buckland has been very successful at being unsuccessful, having failed many times to be elected either as a MP or MEP in Cymru, he was elected as a councillor by 3 votes, but lost, attempting re election, so success in England ensures his current position, and of course, his place in our nation’s history books, just after the entry for Toy Mic Trev.

Last edited 1 year ago by Gareth
DAI Ponty
DAI Ponty
1 year ago

During the days of the ENGLISH EMPIRE there where Governer generals in charge now their empire has gone they are trying to hang on their last colonies but they now call them WELSH seceteries

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