Nadine Dorries has resigned as Culture Secretary following Boris Johnson’s departure from No 10.
In her resignation letter sent posted on Tuesday morning Dorries sais she was ‘delighted’ Liz Truss has been elected as Conservative Party Leader, describing her as a ‘worthy successor’.
She goes on to thank Boris Johnson for not judging her due to her accent when she first arrived in Westminster in 2005.
It is understood Dorries was given the opportunity to carry on in Cabinet but had chosen instead to return to the backbenches.
She accused fellow Tory MPs of staging a “coup” against the outgoing Prime Minister, telling BBC Panorama: “I was quite stunned that there were people who thought that removing the Prime Minister who won the biggest majority that we’ve had since Margaret Thatcher in less than three years.
As a minister she was involved in drawing up legislation to curb social media companies through the Online Safety Bill and led controversial moves to privatise Channel 4.
It is expected that she will now be given a peerage in Mr Johnson’s resignation honours list, triggering a by-election in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Read her letter in full:
Dear Boris
It has been an honour to serve in your Government.
You have steered us through deeply challenging times and I have seen first-hand your determination and grit to lead and deliver on your promises to the public.
I am delighted that Liz Truss has been elected as Conservative Party Leader. I know that Liz will be a worthy successor; protecting your legacy and providing both leadership and vision for the nation.
I am humbled that your successor has extended her confidence in me by asking me to remain as Secretary of State for DCMS. However, after much reflection, I am writing to you to resign as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport at the point at which your successor is appointed.
I have personally assured our soon-to-be Prime Minister that I will be better placed to support her from outside of the Cabinet. The Department I leave behind is truly wonderful. It is filled with Civil Servants who are bursting with drive and talent and together we have achieved so much.
As you will know, many underestimate DCMS It is the smallest policy and delivery department in Whitehall, but this department packs a mighty punch.
Together, Prime Minister, we have built a major economic department, supporting sectors who are responsible for 15% of UK GVA and 14% of all UK jobs. I have been consistently impressed by teams working tirelessly to deliver more legislation than ever before. T
his year we surpassed China and India in venture capital investment in tech for the first time, cementing our status as a global tech superpower.
On the ground, we are delivering the largest infrastructure upgrade in decades through our Project Gigabit rollout, a policy that will boost growth across the economy in the coming years.
We have ensured greater access to sport for communities and young children by investing in thousands of new sports pitches and facilities up and down the country. I have been blessed with dedicated Ministers who worked night and day to ensure that objectives and deadlines were reached and that we delivered on your manifesto promises.
When I arrived in the department the Online Safety Bill had been kicked into the long grass. We picked it up, we ran with it and I am proud that we have a Bill which will hold tech giants to account and protect the lives of millions of children and young people.
The eyes of the world are on this Bill and we, the UK, are leading the way. Throughout this and much more it has been a privilege to work with such a committed group of talented, hard-working and passionate individuals as the Civil Servants who have supported me.
I know they will continue to work with dedication to deliver meaningful and positive change for the public. They are fuelled completely by the desire to provide better for those who need it and I leave the department so inspired.
As you know, I was born in Breck Road in Liverpool, one of the poorest areas in the country. When arrived in Westminster in 2005, you were one of the first MPs to greet me. Many on both sides of the chamber, upon hearing my accent, judged me despite the fact that I had worked in the NIS and had established and sold my own business.
You did not. You spoke to me as an equal and encouraged us all with kind words, consideration and warmth.
When you made levelling up a central pillar of your time in office, I knew more than most that you meant it and when you gave me my job as Culture Secretary, I was determined to do all that I could to ensure that those who thought theatres, museums, art galleries and libraries were not places for them, felt welcome.
I was already aware that the children on the streets that I grew up on had less opportunity to access the arts now than those children I grew up with in the 1960s. That is why one of my first objectives was to move arts funding out of London to the regions.
I secured an additional £43.5m of Arts Council Funding to be invested entirely outside of London as part of your levelling up objective, and by 2025 up to £24m per year will be redirected from London to the most culturally deprived parts of our country.
I feel proud that we will now give overlooked areas the boost they deserve in better access to the arts. Thank you for your trust in me, your friendship, your support and always, your optimism and belief in us all.
Yours, as always
Nadine Dorries
