UK PM Names Nadhim Zahawi New Finance Minister, Steve Barclay New Health Secy

Zahawi now takes on the responsibility of handling the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

New Health Secretary Steve Barclay (left), new Finance Minister Nadhim Zahawi (right).

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

After Tuesday, 5 July, night's shocker with the resignation of Finance Minister of United Kingdom Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on late Tuesday, in a bid to save face, appointed a new finance minister and a new health secretary.

Iraqi-born education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, was appointed as the new finance minister and UK Cabinet chief of staff Steve Barclay was appointed as the health secretary.

Zahawi’s appointment was approved by Queen Elizabeth II, Downing Street said, AFP reported.

This came after Sunak, and Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, resigned from their posts citing Boris Johnson's leadership.

In a tweet, Sunak said that the public rightly expect government to be conducted "properly, competently, and seriously". He also added that this may be his last ministerial job, and that he "believed these standards are worth fighting for".

It was followed up by a few other junior resignations, including Conservative Party Vice-Chair Bim Afolami – who called on Johnson to resign as he has lost the “support of the party and the country”.

Saqib Bhatti, parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to now former health secretary Javid, has also resigned.

"The Conservative party has always been the party of integrity and honour but recent events have undermined trust and standards in public life." Jonathan Gullis, PPS to Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, has also quit. He said for too long "we have been focused on dealing with our reputational damage rather than delivering for the people".

Saqib Bhatti said in a statement on Twitter.

Opposition Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer declared that it is clear the government is “now collapsing”.

Zahawi: The New Finance Minister

Nadhim Zahawi now takes on the responsibility of handling the Treasury and the worst cost-of-living crisis UK has seen in a generation.

Zahawi was born in Baghdad to Kurdish parents and came to the UK as a boy, after his family fled Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi regime in the 1970s. Unable to speak English when he arrived, Zahawi has spoken about how he was bullied at school.

The 55-year-old built a successful business career. He also co-founded the polling company YouGov, and later became active in local Conservative politics in London, before becoming an MP in 2010.

More prominently, he stood out for his role in overseeing the nation’s vaccination roll-out during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apart from backing Brexit in 2016, Zahawi has also been a staunch defender of Johnson throughout partygate.

He and his wife reportedly also own five residences worth 17 million pounds – three in London, one in Warwickshire and one in Dubai, Bloomberg reported.

Barclay: The New Health Secretary

Barclay, an MP since 2010, had taken on a series of roles before Theresa May made him Brexit secretary in 2018 following David Davis' resignation in protest at May's planned European Union (EU) departure deal, The Guardian reported.

After his appointment, Barclay said in a statement:

"It is an honour to take up the position of Health and Social Care Secretary. Our NHS and social care staff have showed us time and again - throughout the pandemic and beyond - what it means to work with compassion and dedication to transform lives."

He added, "This government is investing more than ever before in our NHS and care services to beat the COVID backlogs, recruit 50,000 more nurses, reform social care and ensure patients across the country can access the care they need."

(With inputs from AFP and Bloomberg.)