Former transport secretary Grant Shapps has become the new home secretary following the departure of Suella Braverman.
Number 10 Downing Street confirmed this evening on Twitter that the MP for Welwyn Hatfield will replace Braverman.
The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP @grantshapps has been appointed Secretary of State for the Home Department @ukhomeoffice. pic.twitter.com/z1xKhgwVJW
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) October 19, 2022
Shapps was a firm supporter of Rishi Sunak in the Conservative leadership race during the summer and had briefly stood for the role himself.
Braverman tweeted her resignation letter this afternoon, admitting a “technical infringement of the rules” after sending an official document from her personal email.
However, she also wrote: “I have concerns about the direction of this government.
“Not only have we broken key pledges that were promised to our voters, but I had serious concerns about this government’s commitment to honouring manifesto commitments such as reducing overall migration numbers.”
In comments that are widely seen as a rebuke to prime minister Liz Truss, she also said: “The business of government relies upon people accepting responsibility for their mistakes…I have made a mistake; I accept responsibility; I resign.”
Henbury Travel managing director Richard Slater said: “This is very bad news for the travel industry, and will not be welcomed based on how [Shapps] dealt with the Covid situation. He was totally inept as transport secretary.”
Shapps was transport secretary between July 24, 2019, and September 6, 2022. He returned to the back-benches amid the shake-up implemented by new prime minister Truss.
Shapps’ successor as transport secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, appeared before the transport select committee this morning to outline her priorities.
She said she has dropped a wide-ranging transport bill that had been promised for this autumn by Shapps because of the “challenges of the energy bill…and various others”.
Braverman was appointed home secretary on September 6. The home secretary has overall responsibility for all Home Office business, including border crossings and health measures at the border.