Ministerial job for Wirral West MP Esther McVey (From Wirral Globe)

Ministerial job for Wirral West MP Esther McVey

9:52am Wednesday 5th September 2012 in News

Ministerial job for Wirral West MP Esther McVey

Wirral West MP Esther McVey has been appointed a junior minister at the department for work and pensions.

Ms McVey was among four women MPs handed ministerial jobs from the 2010 generation, and joins Helen Grant, Liz Truss and Anna Soubry on the Government front benches.

Prime Minister David Cameron must be hoping their appointment will help allay criticisms he is falling behind on his own target of making one-third of his ministers female by the end of this Parliament.

Mr Cameron's spokesman said the shake-up reflected a shift in focus as the Government moves into "the delivery phase" after two years of legislating for reform, adding: "This is a reshuffle that seeks to look to the future and bring in new people into the team and also ensure we have the right ministers in place to deliver the Government's programme."

Ms McVey's exact role is expected to be defined later today but it appears likely she will become minister for the disabled.

Mr Cameron's new Cabinet is set to meet for the first time after a reshuffle which was widely regarded as marking a shift to the right.

The PM has replaced liberal Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke with hardliner Chris Grayling, and appointed Jeremy Hunt as Health Secretary, with the job of selling the reforms introduced by Andrew Lansley, who has become Leader of the Commons.

Caroline Spelman was sacked as Environment Secretary in favour of Owen Paterson, a right-winger with a much more sceptical approach to subsidies for renewable energy.

Labour dismissed the shake-up as a "no-change reshuffle" which had left the key ministers in charge of economic policy, including chancellor George Osborne, in post.

The new Cabinet will meet this afternoon at 10 Downing Street after PMQs. Mr Cameron is expected to demand renewed vigour in the drive to restore growth.