Air quality minister leaves Defra for DWP

The air quality minister Therese Coffey has been appointed as the new works and pensions secretary in the aftermath of Amber Rudd’s resignation over the weekend.

Ms Rudd quit the government on 7 September in a fresh setback to Boris Johnson’s under-fire government.

In her resignation letter, she described the prime minister’s decision to kick out 21 Conservative MPs and ban them from standing for the party at a general election as an ‘act of political vandalism’.

Yesterday (8 September), Downing Street announced Ms Coffey had been appointed as her successor.

She was previously minister of state at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) between 25 July and 8 September, with responsibility for air quality, among other areas.

Before that, she was parliamentary under secretary of state at the Defra from 17 July 2016 to 25 July this year.

She was elected the Conservative MP for Suffolk Coastal in May 2010.

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