The UK government has revealed that King Charles III has approved several new ministerial appointments.
These include Claire Coutinho as the country’s Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and Grant Shapps as the UK’s Secretary of State for Defence.
Coutinho was previously Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Education from 26 October 2022 to 30 August 2023 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions from 21 September to 27 October 2022, the UK Govt. site shows.
The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero has overall responsibility for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, according to the UK government site, which notes that Shapps held the role from 7 February 2023 to August 31, 2023.
Shapps was Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 25 October 2022, Secretary of State for the Home Department from 19 October 2022 to 25 October 2022, Secretary of Transport Status between July 24, 2019 and September. 6, 2022, and Minister of State at the Department for International Development from May 11, 2015 to November 28, 2015, the site shows.
The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero is responsible for providing security in energy supply, ensuring the smooth functioning of energy markets, promoting greater energy efficiency and taking advantage of net zero opportunities to lead the world in new green industries, according to the department’s website.
The department focuses on the energy portfolio of the former Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, highlights its place.
In a statement posted on his Twitter page, Coutinho said: “I am delighted to have been appointed Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.”
“I will work with the Prime Minister to safeguard our energy security, reduce household bills and build cleaner, cheaper and homegrown energy,” Coutinho added.
In a statement posted on his Twitter page, Shapps said: “I am honored to be appointed Defense Secretary by Rishi Sunak.”
“I would like to pay tribute to the enormous contribution that Ben Wallace has made to the UK’s global defense and security over the past four years,” he added.
In a statement published on the website of industry body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK), OEUK chief executive Dave Whitehouse said: “We welcome the appointment of Claire Coutinho MP as the new secretary of “State for Energy Security and Net Zero, a crucial role in a vital department. Especially at this time when security of supply and taking meaningful action on the transition are at the forefront of energy policy.”
“We look forward to working with the new Secretary of State and her team to build on the progress the sector has already made to deliver energy security from the North Sea, supported by the North Sea Transition Agreement,” added Whitehouse in the statement.
“We also wish Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP the best in his new role as Secretary of State for Defence, building on his work on resilience and energy security,” he said.
On 7 February, the UK government revealed that Sunak had created four new departments. These included the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, a Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, a Department of Business and Trade and a Department of Culture, Media and Sports, a statement published on the government’s website highlighted then.
“A new Department of Energy Security and Net Zero has been tasked with securing our long-term energy supply, reducing bills and halving inflation,” the statement said.
“The move recognizes the significant impact that rising prices have had on households across the country as a result of Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine and the need to secure more energy from domestic nuclear and renewable sources while seizing the opportunities of net zero,” he said. added
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