Claire Coutinho has been appointed as energy secretary in Rishi Sunak's reshuffle
Rishi Sunak’s mini-reshuffle started today after Ben Wallace’s resignation as Defence Secretary. His replacement, Grant Shapps, is a relatively well known figure. By appointing him, Sunak needed to fill Shapps’ previous role of Energy Secretary. Claire Coutinho was the MP who got the job – but who is she?
Coutinho was first elected at the 2019 general election and has become the first MP elected at the last election to enter the cabinet. She is understood to be exceptionally close to Sunak.
Prior to politics, she worked in investment banking and at the accountancy firm KPMG. She also worked at Iain Duncan Smith’s think tank the Centre for Social Justice. Her first role in Westminster was as a special advisor in the treasury, during which time she was an aide to Sunak when he was chancellor.
Since entering parliament as the MP for East Surrey, Coutinho initially has served in a number of junior ministerial positions. Initially, she was a Principal Private Secretary in the Treasury, but resigned in protest at Boris Johnson’s handling of the Chris Pincher scandal.
In the 2022 Tory leadership contest, she backed Sunak over Truss, but went on to serve as Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Disabled People, Health and Work in the latter’s short time in Downing Street. She was then moved by Sunak to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Families and Wellbeing, a position she held consistently from October 2022.
In 2020 she caused controversy after defending Dominic Cummings’ decision to drive from London to County Durham at the height of the Covid-19 lockdown. At the time, she said: “Two sick parents trying to be close to the dad’s sister, so that their 4 year old can be cared for in case they both fall seriously ill, done within the rules (self isolating, not seeing older parents) deserve our compassion. That shouldn’t depend on their political affiliation.”
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
Image credit: UK Parliament – Creative Commons
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