Nick Herbert steps down as policing minister

The first major Cabinet reshuffle of the coalition government has taken place with a change at the top of the Ministry of Justice.

Chris Grayling, former employment minister and the Conservative Party’s Shadow Home Secretary between 2009 and 2010, will replace Ken Clarke as the Justice Secretary.

Mr Clarke will take up a role in the cabinet as a Minister without Portfolio and act as an advisor on the economy.

Nick Herbert, the policing minister, has stepped down from his position. He commented on Twitter that he was “honoured to have worked with the police and driven big reforms” and he will now focus on new ideas and protecting Britain’s countryside. He will be replaced by Damian Green.

The position of Justice Secretary was apparently first offered to Ian Duncan Smith but the Work and Pensions Secretary elected to remain in his current position, leading to the appointment of Mr Grayling.

Ursula Brennan, permanent secretary at the Department for Justice, said: “I`m delighted to welcome Chris Grayling to the Ministry of Justice, who joins us in the midst of a radical programme to reform the justice system. One of the first things we will be discussing is his vision for the justice system and how we will deliver this.

“I`d also like to pay tribute to our previous Justice Secretary, Kenneth Clarke, for the leadership he has given the department and the extent of the reform that he has delivered.”

Mr Clarke said that rather than a demotion, he was happy to be in the cabinet and had an agreement with the Prime Minister on his position as Justice Secretary when he took up the role in 2010.

“I agreed with David Cameron when I arrived I would do it for a couple of years, that is the agreement we had when he appointed me and that is what we have stuck to,” he said.

“I’m rather pleasantly surprised he has asked me to stay on in the Cabinet doing a different role.”

He added: “But I never thought I would be back in the Government in the first place and at my age you do occasionally have to step down from a heavy departmental role before you suddenly realise you can no longer quite handle it.”

Elsewhere, Crispin Blunt, the prisons minister, was removed from his position and returns to the backbenches. Helen Grant will replace him.

Edward Garnier was sacked from his position as Solicitor General. He was replaced by Oliver Heald MP.

At the Home Office, Theresa May stayed as Home Secretary.