Latest : Theresa May has named Gavin Williamson her new Defence Secretary
Sir Michael Fallon’s resignation leaves Theresa May facing the sensitive task of replacing him in the Cabinet.Here are some of the potential contenders for the role of Defence Secretary:
: Sir Alan Duncan: currently Boris Johnson’s deputy in the Foreign Office, Sir Alan was at Oxford University at the same time as Mrs May – and preceded her husband Philip as president of the Oxford Union.
The former oil trader was instrumental in setting up a covert cell to block fuel supplies to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime while ensuring rebels had access to the resource during the 2011 conflict
:: Penny Mordaunt: The Work and Pensions Minister has experience in the Ministry of Defence and is a Royal Navy reservist. She was the first female Armed Forces Minister from May 2015 until July 2016. The Portsmouth North MP donned her swimsuit to appear on ITV diving competition Splash in 2014 to raise money for charity.
:: Ben Wallace: The Security Minister and a former officer in the Scots Guards, he was promoted to his Home Office role when Mrs May took over in Number 10. But Mrs May could be wary about putting Boris Johnson’s former campaign manager in the Cabinet alongside the Foreign Secretary at a time when her grasp on the leadership has been weakened by the general election humiliation.
:: Tobias Ellwood: Currently a junior minister in the Ministry of Defence, he served in the Royal Green Jackets from 1991 to 1996 with tours in Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Kuwait, Germany, Gibraltar and Bosnia. He was praised for his efforts trying in vain to save the life of Pc Keith Palmer after the Westminster terror attack in March.
:: Johnny Mercer: An outside bet for the role, but if the Prime Minister wanted to revitalise her administration, the former army officer and Afghanistan veteran could offer that option. Only elected in 2015, he impressed Westminster observers with his tenacious leadership of a Defence Select Committee investigation into the handling of the Iraq Historic Allegations Team.
As a critic of Mrs May’s welfare policies, the Prime Minister may also want to get him inside her Government tent in order to remove a backbench rebel. The Plymouth Moor View MP once appeared half-naked lathering himself up in an advert for Dove shower gel.