Dominic Raab’s resignation has sparked a cabinet reshuffle with Oliver Dowden appointed as deputy prime minister.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also filled Mr Raab’s role as justice secretary with defence minister Alex Chalk.
The reshuffle comes hours after Mr Raab resigned from Rishi Sunak’s cabinet following an inquiry into bullying allegations against him.
James Cartlidge took Mr Chalk’s old job in the ministry of defence, while Gareth Davies was appointed exchequer secretary to the Treasury.
Mr Raab’s resignation also came as science minister Michelle Donelan was set to begin her maternity leave. She will be replaced by backbench MP Chloe Smith, who was the work and pensions secretary under Liz Truss.
The reshuffle will also see John Whittingdale return to the government as a minister in the department for culture, media and sport as well as the deparment for science, innovation and technology.
Mr Dowden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and secretary of state for the cabinet office, is a key ally and close friend of Mr Sunak.
He previously served as the chairman of the Conservative party, but resigned last year after the Tories’ dire losses in two by-elections.
Before that, Mr Dowden was the culture secretary where he made a name for himself waging war on the National Trust and attacking “woke psychodrama” including the West’s supposed “obsession” with pronouns.
Mr Chalk, the MP for Cheltenham, joined Parliament as a backbencher in 2015. He was made a parliamentary under secretary of state in 2020.
In October last year, Mr Chalk was promoted to become a minister of state in the ministry of defence.
Many working in the criminal justice system are breathing a sigh of relief at the appointment of Mr Chalk to succeed Mr Raab.
He previously served as solicitor general until he resigned during the meltdown of Boris Johnson’s government last July. Mr Chalk went on to back Rishi Sunak’s leadership campaign.
He is not believed to be an enthusiastic supporter of his predecessor’s Bill of Rights, and his appointment could be the final death knell for the controversial law.
In his July resignation letter, Mr Chalk spoke of his work on new domestic abuse laws and the delivery of legal advice, and praised the “talented civil servants” he worked with in the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Office.
Mr Chalk is a barrister and was practicing as recently as last year, with his chambers profile saying he “prosecuted and defended in the most serious cases, including terrorist bomb plots, international fraud, multi-handed rape cases and murder”.
Labour’s shadow justice secretary Steve Reed congratulated Mr Chalk but poitned out that he is the 11th Conservative to fill the post in 13 “chaotic years”.
“Congratulations to Alex Chalk on his appointment as the 11th Conservative Justice Secretary in 13 chaotic years that have destroyed the justice system. Real change can only come with a Labour Government,” Mr Reed said.
Charity the Prison Reform Trust said Mr Chalk’s appointment is an “opportunity for a reset” on Mr Raab’s “damaging” changes to the parole system. “The vital and complex work of the Ministry of Justice has been undermined by Dominic Raab’s reckless meddling and his inability to interact professionally with his senior officials,” chief executive Pia Sinha said.
The Law Society urged Mr Chalk to urgently “get a grip” on the “crumbling courts system”.
