Sajid Javid is new Home Secretary after Amber Rudd's dramatic resignation
3 min read
Sajid Javid has been appointed as the new Home Secretary in the wake of the dramatic resignation of Amber Rudd, Downing Street has announced.
The former Communities Secretary - who this weekend issued an impassioned plea for Tory voters not to abandon the party over the Windrush scandal - has been appointed to the role following Ms Rudd's resignation for "inadvertently" misleading MPs over the Home Office's use of deportation targets.
Ms Rudd's decision to quit came just hours after it emerged she had told Theresa May she had "ambitious but deliverable" targets for removing illegal immigrants.
In a statement Number 10 said: "The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of the Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP as Secretary of State for the Home Department."
Ms Rudd's departure from the Government is a massive blow to Mrs May, who was her immediate predecessor in the Home Office.
Having been a strong supporter of Remain in the EU referendum, she could now become a powerful voice on the Tory backbenches for a soft Brexit.
Mr Javid - who backed the Remain campaign, but has since said his "heart" was for Brexit and spoken out against customs union membership - will immediately be tasked with sorting out the Windrush scandal, ensuring that migrants are able to obtain their UK citizenship as well as establishing a compensation scheme for those who have been affected.
He has previously held the business and culture briefs.
James Brokenshire - who stepped back from his role as Northern Ireland secretary while he received treatment for cancer - will replace Mr Javid at the Communities department, while International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt will take on the women and equalities brief vacated by Ms Rudd.
Mr Javid's appointment was applauded by his Conservative colleagues, with Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss praising him as "effective, no-nonsense and brave", while former minister Nick Boles said he was "proud to be a colleague" of the UK's first Home Secretary from a Muslim background.
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