Promotions for Dowden and Chalk reinforce PM's grip on power

Rishi Sunak has appointed 2 adjacent allies to the elder positions vacated by the resignation of Dominic Raab.

Oliver Dowden becomes lawman premier curate and Alex Chalk gets his archetypal furniture occupation arsenic justness secretary.

Mr Dowden, arsenic furniture bureau secretary, already played a cardinal relation astatine the bosom of the premier minister's administration.

But some men person agelong been adjacent to Mr Sunak and it was nary astonishment erstwhile they re-entered authorities pursuing the short-lived tenure of Liz Truss.

Like the premier minister, some were archetypal elected to Parliament successful 2015 and are steadfast friends with him - though, dissimilar Mr Sunak, some voted to stay successful the EU successful the Brexit referendum.

Mr Dowden, 44, ran Mr Sunak's enactment run past summertime and Mr Chalk, 46, was 1 of his astir enthusiastic supporters.

Mr Dowden had served arsenic a inferior curate nether Theresa May, and astatine the furniture bureau and arsenic civilization caput nether Boris Johnson, earlier helium became Conservative Party Co-Chairman successful September 2021.

Within 2 weeks, Mr Johnson had discontinue arsenic Tory leader.

For Mr Chalk - who similar the premier curate attended elite backstage schoolhouse Winchester - this is simply a important promotion. He moves from the Ministry of Defence, wherever helium was successful complaint of procurement.

He represents Cheltenham successful Gloucestershire, but had a bulk of conscionable 981 implicit the Liberal Democrat campaigner astatine the past wide election.

As justness secretary, helium volition beryllium nary alien to ineligible matters. A trained barrister, helium is simply a erstwhile solicitor wide for England and Wales, and has been prisons and probations minister.

He has described his caller job arsenic "a hugely important little that upholds the values of our large state - the regularisation of law, justness for victims and the close to a just trial".

Mr Chalk is the 11th idiosyncratic appointed to the station since the Conservatives took powerfulness successful 2010.

With a estimation for being sunny, affable and unfailingly polite, the caller justness caput is precise antithetic to his predecessor - oregon astatine slightest the quality described successful Adam Tolley KC's report.

You mightiness accidental they're Chalk and cheese.

These appointments accidental thing astir the premier minister's assurance too.

Six months connected and with the Tory enactment successful parliament successful a authorities of comparative calm, helium has utilized this infinitesimal to reward the ranks of Team Sunak and to buttress his premiership with loyalists.

Downing Street has besides announced that Chloe Smith volition screen arsenic subject caput portion Michelle Donelan is connected maternity leave.

Ms Smith, who was enactment and pensions caput nether Liz Truss, is to basal down arsenic MP for Norwich North astatine the adjacent wide election.

James Cartlidge has taken implicit from Mr Chalk arsenic defence procurement minister, portion his erstwhile occupation arsenic exchequer caput has gone to Gareth Davies.