Stephen Barclay becomes the new Brexit minister in the British government. That is what various British media report. He succeeds Dominic Raab who resigned yesterday.
Earlier in the day, the influential British environment minister Michael Gove said he was not leaving the government. “I have absolute confidence in the prime minister,” he said.
The new Brexit minister has so far served as a sub-minister of public health in the British government. “He is one of the second known members of the government”, writes the newspaper The Guardian.
However, he is known in the United Kingdom as a very loyal member of the government. Barclay also opted to leave the EU two years ago in the referendum.
May has so far worn two ministers of Brexitzaken. Dominic Raab resigned yesterday in protest against the agreement in principle with the EU.
He had only been in office for a few months: the first minister of Brexitzaken, David Davis, left in July. He disagreed with the Brexit strategy of his political boss.
Barclay does not intend to negotiate with the EU. According to the May spokesperson, the new minister must deal with domestic preparations for the British departure from the European Union.
He is also involved in attempts to get the deal through parliament. It is still unclear whether there is sufficient support there.