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Identities of Cabinet Ministers' Parliamentary Private Secretaries begin to emerge

The appointment of a Government took longer than anyone can remember in recent history, and so too the process of appointing Parliamentary Private Secretaries to Cabinet Ministers is taking some time.

No official announcements have yet been made, but most of the highest ranking members of the Cabinet do now have a ministerial aide in tow - the most senior minister yet to appoint a PPS, as far as I can tell, is Defence Secretary, Liam Fox.

A number of those who have been appointed were spokesmen in opposition who did not get a ministerial job themselves (the full pre-election frontbench is here) although I gather the one newcomer to the ranks of the "payroll vote" is Edward Timpson, the victor of the Crewe and Nantwich by-election, who held the seat at the general election. He is to be PPS to Theresa May.

Here are the unofficial PPS appointments so far:

David Cameron (Prime Minister) - Desmond Swayne (was PPS to Cameron in opposition)
Nick Clegg  (Deputy Prime Minister) - Norman Lamb
William Hague (Foreign Secretary) - Keith Simpson (was Foreign Affairs spokesman)
George Osborne (Chancellor) - Greg Hands (was Treasury spokesman)
Ken Clarke (Justice Secretary) - Ben Wallace (was Scotland spokesman)
Added June 18
Theresa May (Home Secretary) - Edward Timpson
Liam Fox (Defence Secretary) - Tobias Ellwood (was Culture spokesman)
Vince Cable (Business, Innovation and Skills Secretary) - Jo Swinson
Iain Duncan Smith (Work and Pensions Secretary) - Andrew Selous (was DWP spokesman)
Chris Huhne (Energy and Climate Change Secretary) - Jenny Willott
Andrew Lansley (Health Secretary) - Andrew Murrison (was Defence spokesman)
Michael Gove (Education Secretary) - David Evennett (was Universities and Skills spokesman)
Eric Pickles (Communities and Local Government Secretary) - Stephen Hammond (was Transport spokesman)
Caroline Spelman (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary) - Mark Simmonds (was Health spokesman)
Andrew Mitchell (International Development Secretary) - Mark Lancaster (was DfID spokesman)
Jeremy Hunt (Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport Secretary) - Rob Wilson (was a whip)
Owen Paterson (Northern Ireland Secretary) - Stewart Jackson (was DCLG spokesman)
Michael Moore (Scotland Secretary) - Mike Crockart
Francis Maude (Cabinet Office Minister)
- David Burrowes (was Justice spokesman)
Oliver Letwin (Cabinet Office Minister) - David Burrowes (was Justice spokesman)
Philip Hammond (Transport Secretary)
- Lee Scott Added June 24
Sir George Young (Leader of the Commons) - John Howell Added June 24
Danny Alexander (Chief Secretary to the Treasury) - Gordon Birtwistle Added June 24

And here are the Cabinet ministers yet to appoint a PPS:

Cheryl Gillan (Wales Secretary)
Baroness Warsi (Party Chairman)
Lord Strathclyde (Leader of the Lords)

Do drop me an email if you have any further intelligence...

Jonathan Isaby

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