Gavin Williamson has been appointed defence secretary by Theresa May following Sir Michael Fallon’s resignation over claims of inappropriate sexual behaviour.
Williamson, 41, has been promoted to the senior role from the position of Chief Whip.
The South Staffordshire MP had not been seen as a frontrunner to replace Sir Michael given he has not held a ministerial job in a government department.
Williamson, who famously keeps a pet Tarantula named Cronus in his office, was May’s parliamentary campaign manager during 2016 Tory leadership race.
The appointment triggered a backlash from some Tory MPs. One minister told HuffPost UK it was an “appalling appointment” and another said Williamson was a “real slimeball”.
Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith, 46, who was Williamson’s deputy in the Whip’s office, has been promoted to Chief Whip.
Smith now has the crucial job at the heart of government enforcing party discipline as the prime minister takes the country through the Brexit negotiations.
Esther McVey, 50, the MP for Tatton and a former employment minister, has been made Deputy Chief Whip.
The reshuffle came as Westminster has been rocked by sexual harassment allegations against MPs and ministers.
Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi said Williamson was an “inspired choice” to take over at the Ministry of Defence.
However not all Conservatives welcomed May’s decision to promote her ally.
Sarah Wollaston tweeted shortly after the announcement: “There are times when offered a job that it would be better to advise that another would be more experienced & suited to the role.”
Sir Michael resigned from the Cabinet on Wednesday evening following allegations he had behaved inappropriately.
He said he had “fallen below the high standards required”. The shock announcement came after it emerged he had repeatedly put his hand on a journalist’s knee at a dinner in 2002.
Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood is looking into claims made against May’s de facto deputy prime minister Damian Green and international trade minister Mark Garnier.
Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, said this morning it was time for some “house clearing” in parliament using some “pretty big shovels”.
“The dam has broken on this now, and these male-dominated professions, overwhelmingly male-dominated professions, where the boys’ own locker room culture has prevailed, and it’s all been a bit bit of a laugh, has got to stop,” she told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme.
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