Iain Duncan Smith is to remain in charge of the Government’s controversial welfare reforms as Work and Pensions Secretary, David Cameron announced as he prepared to reveal the make-up of the rest of his new senior government team.
The former party leader is one of a number of senior figures keeping their jobs, including Chancellor George Osborne, Home Secretary Theresa May, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan and Defence Secretary Michael Fallon.
It is a signal of faith in Mr Duncan Smith whose first five years in the job were marked by deep issues with the roll-out of the flagship Universal Credit system and anger over cuts to disability payments as the Conservatives seek to make another £12 billion mostly-as-yet-unspecified cuts to the welfare budget.
Mr Cameron, who yesterday restored Michael Gove to the top of government as Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, will today address the influential Tory backbench 1922 Committee as he seeks to get his second term off to a positive start.
He will tell them that after five years of “repair and recovery” in coalition with the Liberal Democrats, a majority Conservative administration would be “all about renewal” and restoring “a sense of fairness” to society.
He will tell the meeting: “It fell to us to put the economy on the right track and to get Britain back to work. Today I can tell you that the next five years will be all about renewal.
“It will be our task to renew a sense of fairness in our society where those who work hard and do the right thing are able to get on. We will make sure our economic recovery reaches all parts of our country.
“We will also renew our relationship with Europe, ensuring that we get a better deal for the British people culminating in an ‘in/out’ referendum.
“And we will renew our Union showing respect to all four parts of our country, while recognising we are stronger together as the United Kingdom. All of this goes back to what I said on the steps of Downing Street. We are the party of one nation and that is the way we will govern.”
Michael Gove is returning to the top of government moving from chief whip to Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, at the expense of Chris Grayling who becomes Leader of the House of Commons.
Mark Harper, who quit as immigration minister over the work status of his cleaner, takes over as chief whip.