PM appoints new justice secretary and deputy prime minister after Dominic Raab resignation

The prime minister has appointed Alex Chalk as his new justice secretary and Oliver Dowden as the deputy prime minister, after Dominic Raab resigned following a bullying investigation.

Rishi Sunak was forced to carry out a Cabinet re-shuffle after a statement from Mr Raab on Friday morning, which came after the publication of a report into claims he bullied staff.

Alex Chalk, a junior defence minister and MP for Cheltenham, will take over from Mr Raab as Secretary of State for Justice.

New Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Chalk, enters the Ministry of Justice after being appointed to the role

Mr Chalk's appointment comes after several members of staff at the Ministry of Justice complained about Mr Raab's behaviour when he was head of the department.

According to an independent inquiry carried out by senior lawyer Adam Tolley KC, Mr Raab's behaviour sometimes had a "significant adverse impact" on staff health.

Elsewhere, Oliver Dowden has been appointed deputy prime minister by Mr Sunak, and will take on another key role in the Cabinet Office. He was previously chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster.

As part of the reshuffle, Mr Sunak has also appointed MP Chloe Smith as the science, innovation and technology secretary while Michelle Donelan is on maternity leave.

Other appointments include Gareth Davies MP as exchequer secretary to the treasury and Sir John Whittingdale MP as a joint minister in both the culture and science departments.

Responding to Mr Raab's resignation on Friday, Mr Sunak said he accepted the outcome but with "great sadness".

Meanwhile, Mr Raab, writing in the Telegraph, criticised the "Kaftaesque saga" and accused "committed officials" of trying to force him out of government.

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