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Pickles chairman in Tory shake-up | |
(20 minutes later) | |
Eric Pickles is to become Conservative Party chairman in David Cameron's reshuffle of his front bench team. | |
Mr Pickles, who had been shadow communities secretary, swaps roles with Caroline Spelman while Chris Grayling is promoted to home secretary. | |
Mr Cameron has already announced he is bringing former chancellor Ken Clarke back as shadow business secretary. | Mr Cameron has already announced he is bringing former chancellor Ken Clarke back as shadow business secretary. |
The Tory leader said the changes announced would combine "fresh thinking with experience". | |
Mr Grayling is being moved from work and pensions, where he will be replaced by Theresa May. | |
'Strongest team' | |
Alan Duncan, who lost his shadow business post when Mr Clarke was recalled to the front bench after a 12-year absence, will replace her as shadow Commons leader. | |
Dominic Grieve, a barrister, will become shadow justice secretary. | |
With the other changes I have made today, we have combined fresh thinking with experience, hope and change with stability and common sense David Cameron Clarke 'delighted' at appointment | |
He became shadow home secretary last year when David Davis gave up the post to fight a by-election on the issue of civil liberties in protest at the government's handling of the vote on extending detention of terror suspects. | |
Mr Davis told the BBC that he was not offered a job in the reshuffle and would not have expected to have been asked. | |
Mr Grieve replaces Nick Herbert as shadow justice secretary. Mr Herbert becomes shadow environment secretary, replacing Peter Ainsworth, who leaves the shadow cabinet. | |
Mr Pickles, who is popular with grassroots Tories, ran the party's successful Crewe and Nantwich by-election campaign. | |
Ms Spelman had found herself at the centre of a row over the use of expenses to pay her nanny - for which she is being investigated by Parliament's standards watchdog. | Ms Spelman had found herself at the centre of a row over the use of expenses to pay her nanny - for which she is being investigated by Parliament's standards watchdog. |
Announcing the changes, Mr Cameron said he now had the "strongest possible shadow cabinet" ready for a general election. | |
"With Ken Clarke's arrival, we now have the best economic team," he said. | |
"With the other changes I have made today, we have combined fresh thinking with experience, hope and change with stability and common sense." |