UK: Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union

July 15, 2016


Theresa May spent her first days as Prime Minister announcing her new Cabinet, including a new role responsible for leading Britain’s negotiations to leave the European Union.

Theresa May has a well-publicised commitment to get on with delivering the verdict of EU referendum; this is also demonstrated in her early preparations for the creation of a ‘Brexit department’. The new department would take over the work of a Cabinet Office unit currently lead by Oliver Letwin. Civil servants have been instructed to identify a Whitehall building to house the department, who will focus solely on negotiating Britain”s departure from the European Union.

So who is the newly appointed ‘Brexit Secretary’? The announcement made on the 13th July 2016, confirmed that David Davis has been appointed to the new cabinet position of Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union. David Davis is currently the Member of Parliament for Haltemprice and Howden. Since being elected in 1997, previous appointments held include the positions of Conservative party chairman and shadow deputy prime minister.

David Davis Timeline:

1997 

Elected Chairman of the influential Public Accounts Committee.

2003 to 2008

Shadow Home Secretary

2008

Leading figure on the Conservative backbenches.

2010

Chaired The Future of Banking Commission which investigated the causes of the recent banking crisis.

2011

Lead author and editor of a book of essays written by MPs and leading political thinkers.

Also joining the cabinets leave campaign are Liam Fox, who has been appointed Secretary of State for International Trade, and Boris Johnson, the UK’s new Foreign Secretary.

David Davis has stated in a recent article that ‘This whole process should be completed to allow triggering of Article 50 before or by the beginning of next year’. The article can be read here. The Cabinet Office has also released a statement to confirm that the decision about when to trigger Article 50 and start the formal process of leaving the EU will be for the new Prime Minister. The UK remains a member of the EU throughout this process, and until Article 50 negotiations have concluded.

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