The latest Cabinet reshuffle, announced by prime minister David Cameron as a move to shake up his top team ahead of the election next year, sees David Gauke, Exchequer secretary to the Treasury, promoted to financial secretary at the Treasury.
Gauke, who trained as a solicitor and is the MP for Hertfordshire South West, has been replaced by Priti Patel, MP for Witham.
He replaces Nicky Morgan who has been made education secretary as Michael Gove moves to chief whip. Morgan was in the post for less than six months after taking over from Sajid Javid who became secretary of state for culture, media and sport in April following Maria Miller’s resignation over challenges to her expenses claims.
As Exchequer secretary from 2010, Gauke was responsible for the tax code and was also the voice of the Treasury’s campaign against tax avoidance, including giving a speech in which he described paying tradesmen cash in hand was ‘morally wrong’. In his new role, he will have responsibility for the Office for National Statistics, the Royal Mint and input into the EU Budget, amongst other duties.
The role of financial secretary is ranked as the fourth most significant ministerial role within the Treasury, and was originally created in 1711. Previous postholders include Nigel Lawson and Normal Lamont. In contrast, the Exchequer secretary post ranks at parliamentary secretary level and is only used occasionally, having been revived in 2007 after a ten-year lapse.
