Theresa May, the new prime minister, has appointed three new health ministers after the departures of Alistair Burt, Ben Gummer, and Jane Ellison.
Philip Dunne, the MP for Ludlow and formerly a minister in the Ministry of Defence, has been appointed minister of state at the department of health, the second most senior position in the department after health secretary Jeremy Hunt. Mr Dunne tweeted that he was ‘excited’ to accept the position, and was looking forward to starting work at the DH.
Replacing Mr Gummer and Ms Ellison are Nicola Blackwood and David Mowat, MPs for Oxford West and Abingdon, and Warrington South respectively. Mr Mowat was previously the parliamentary private secretary to the financial secretary to the treasury. The position in the DH is Ms Blackwoods first ministerial role.
Mr Hunt tweeted saying that it was ‘great to have [Mr Mowat] on board]’ and implied he would be responsible for community settings, saying that there is ‘lots to be done to transform community care as our population ages.’
Ben Gummer, the former minister for nursing and MP for Ipswich, has been appointed as Minister for the Cabinet Office, and Paymaster General. He had been the minister for nursing since 2015. Jane Ellison, the minister for public health, since 2013, has been moved to the treasury. Alaistair Burt, the minister for community care announced his intentions to step away from the role previously.