Cameron carries out mini shadow cabinet reshuffle
Greg Clark will become a member of the Shadow Cabinet, it has been announced.
The MP for Tunbridge Wells will shadow the newly created Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.
Mr Clark, 41, only entered Parliament three years ago.
He was Special Adviser to the Tory Secretary of State for Trade & Industry Ian Lang from 1996 until 1997 then became Controller of Commercial Policy at the BBC. From 2001 until 2005 he was Director of Policy for the Conservative Party.
Before today’s promotion Mr Clark was Shadow Minister for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering.
“I am thrilled and honoured to take on this role,” he said.
“David Cameron has led on this issue and I, together with Greg Barker and Charles Hendry, look forward to developing Conservative policies for a secure, sustainable and affordable energy supply.”
Mr Barker has been named Shadow Minister for Climate Change, substantively the same job he was doing before the mini reshuffle.
He was named as one of the most influential gay people in British politics by PinkNews.co.uk last year.
Mr Barker is personally and politically close to David Cameron, and he had been tipped for promotion to the Shadow Cabinet.
Charles Hendry becomes Shadow Minister for Energy.
The Tory reshuffle sees Nick Hurd move from the Whips office to replace Mr Clark as Shadow Minister for Charities.
The limited nature of the changes means it is likely that David Cameron will make more wide-ranging alterations to his top team before the next general election, which must be called by June 2010.
Gordon Brown created the Energy and Climate Change department to take over the energy duties of the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the climate change responsibilities of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Ed Miliband is the first Secretary of State.
The Prime Minister carried out a major reshuffle over the weekend that saw Ruth Kelly and Des Browne leave the Cabinet.
Peter Mandelson has returned from Brussels to head up Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Baroness Royall joins the Cabinet as Leader of the House of Lords.
