Stephen Barclay named new Brexit Secretary

Stephen Barclay has been appointed Brexit secretary, the British government announced Friday.

The former health minister replaces Dominic Raab, who quit Thursday in opposition to Theresa May’s draft Brexit deal.

Barclay, who campaigned to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum, was head of anti-money laundering and sanctions at Barclays Bank and also worked for the Financial Services Authority before becoming a member of parliament in 2010.

He is the MP for North-East Cambridgeshire, a large agricultural and food producing area which includes the district council area of Fenland, which had the sixth highest share of Leave voters in the country (71.4 percent).

Environment Secretary Michael Gove is understood to have turned down the role of Brexit secretary following Mr Raab's departure.

Barclay becomes the third Brexit Secretary since the role was created, after Mr Raab and David Davis - who resigned over Mrs May's Brexit plans in July.

He has been congratulated on Twitter by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss, who said he was "a star" when he worked in her department.

The announcement comes after Amber Rudd was named the new work and pensions secretary - replacing Esther McVey, who also resigned over the PM's Brexit plans on Thursday.

Rudd said she was "delighted" to be given the role, and saw it as her job to "try to iron out" the issues with Universal Credit.

Stephen Hammond will take over from Barclay at the department for health and social care.

The government also announced replacements for two junior ministers who resigned over May's deal.

John Penrose will join the Northern Ireland office, replacing Shailesh Vara, and Kwasi Kwarteng will go to the Department for Exiting the EU, replacing Suella Braverman.

May agreed a draft withdrawal agreement for Brexit with her cabinet on Wednesday, which had already been signed off by negotiators from both the UK and EU.

But it led to a backlash from some Brexit-supporting MPs, including Raab and McVey.