Therese Coffey

Will Liz Truss make Suffolk Coastal MP Dr Therese Coffey deputy prime minister? That was one theory as speculation gripped Westminster today.

Dr Coffey may have taken longer to reach the cabinet, becoming Work and Pensions Secretary in 2019 five years after Ms Truss first sat around the famous table, but the two have since become firm allies in Government. Ms Truss was the first to be appointed to ministerial office as a junior agriculture minister in 2012, and one of her first visits in that role was to her friend's constituency – not far from her own – where the two of them were photographed during a visit to a well-known Suffolk pig farm. Dr Coffey was elected to the House of Commons for the first time on the same day as Ms Truss in May 2010 – and the pair quickly became close friends.

Described by one MP colleague as "yin and yang", the pair have been friends for years, with Thérèse Coffey now tipped for a senior role in the new ...

Liz is more of a disruptor whereas Thérèse is very much a details person. Thérèse is very serious and very Catholic, a calm head on wise shoulders. The former Cabinet minister added: "Thérèse is a very good administrator. "It is an odd partnership because Thérèse is very Catholic and a 'wet' in the old sense of the word - very much a moderate. "She's much more of a loner whereas Thérèse is the social glue in the party - she brings people together. But the Telegraph claims Truss, 47, has formed a formidable alliance with her fellow MP, and is hoping to offer her a senior role.

Liz Truss is set to announce her new cabinet after succeeding Boris Johnson as prime minister.

A role which she assumed when Boris Johnson became prime minister in 2019. She later went on to work for the BBC as a finance manager in the property division. She first entered politics in 2005, when she stood as a Conservative candidate for Wrexham but finished third.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has turned down a chance to return to the political frontline after being offered a position in Liz Truss's new ...

“I am very happy to support her. There were suggestions that two of Ms Truss’s defeated leadership rivals – Kemi Badenoch and Penny Mordaunt – have been offered International Trade Secretary and Leader of the Commons, respectively It followed reports that he had been lined up for the position of leader of the House of Commons in the new administration.

As well as being appointed as Health and Social Care Secretary, Ms Coffey is stepping up to become Ms Truss's second-in-command as Deputy Prime Minister. The 50 ...

As well as being a music and football enthusiast – she is a Liverpool fan – Ms Coffey reportedly enjoys a cigar. Apart from broadcast appearances and leading the vocals at karaoke sessions, Ms Coffey is said to be a private person. As well as being appointed as Health and Social Care Secretary, Ms Coffey is stepping up to become Ms Truss’s second-in-command as Deputy Prime Minister.

Therese Coffey, who was named as Heath Secretary by Liz Truss this afternoon, has said she would prefer that people didn't have abortions, voted against ...

Devoid of any ability to see through any of their job-saving nonsense. [NHS](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/nhs) without the guarantee of extra funds from the soon-to-be-canned national insurance hike. [BBC](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/bbc). [Dominic Raab](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/dominic-raab-mp) as Deputy PM, Ms Coffey's primary duties are to stand in at Prime Minister's Questions and chair the Cabinet if Ms Truss is absent. [Universal Credit](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/what-universal-credit-benefit-explained-13390461) uplift was scrapped. Devoid of empathy. [was reportedly the host of notorious late night "karaoke sessions" in the Houses of Parliament](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/dwp-staff-drank-night-therese-25673214), which would regularly take place in her Commons office. [NHS](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/nhs) workers. [Therese Coffey](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/therese-coffey) faces one of the biggest challenges in government. [after a blunt response to Manchester United and England star Marcus Rashford](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/marcus-rashford-blasts-dwp-chief-22198758), who shone a light on child poverty during the pandemic. [when she suggested Brits should work longer hours to make up for her £20-a-week Universal Credit cut](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/fury-tories-tell-universal-credit-24970799). [Liz Truss](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/liz-truss) ally and close friend [was branded "utterly heartless" by Piers Morgan](https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/piers-morgan-savages-therese-coffey-22198724) when she hit out at school meal campaigner Marcus Rashford on

“The British public back us. And with a Conservative government intent on attacking our NHS and its staff, it is time for nurses to stand united together for a ...

Responding to the rumours, Lead Organiser for the group Anthony Johnson said, “If this is true, then it shows why nursing staff need to take action to defend themselves and their patients. She will take over from Steve Barclay, who has held the role for just two months after Sajid Javid resigned from the post in July. Numerous media sources close to Downing Street have tipped the former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to become the next Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Deputy Prime Minister.

She takes over from Steve Barclay, who was appointed in Boris Johnson's caretaker administration amid the wave of resignations over the Chris Pincher scandal ...

[Brexit](https://www.thenational.scot/news/brexit/) referendum, saying she was branded a “traitor” on the campaign trail. [Conservative](https://www.thenational.scot/politics/tories/) Party, and has long been a friend of the new Prime Minister. [Health](https://www.thenational.scot/news/health/) Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister in Liz Truss’s new Cabinet.

Coffey, a close friend of new PM, faces daunting task as she becomes third health and social care secretary in two months.

Her closeness to Truss has prompted reports in recent weeks that she was offered a number of roles. The same person adds that Coffey “can come over in public as harsh and lacking empathy”. A colleague says: “Her political views are of the free market and the hard right wing, including strong anti-abortion views.” But a Tory insider disagrees. “She is convivial and pleasant company, and fond of a few drinks,” one says. She qualified as a chartered management accountant, had stints at a subsidiary of Mars and the BBC and stood unsuccessfully to become an MP and MEP. A private person, she is unmarried, has no children and is close to her mother and sister.

Downing Street said: “The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of the Rt Hon Dr Therese Coffey MP as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

At the time, she celebrated the moment by tweeting a photo of herself and Truss, saying: “I was delighted to attend my first Cabinet meeting at No 10 with my mate @trussliz showing me the ropes”. Becoming deputy prime minister is quite a promotion for Coffey, who only joined the cabinet when she was appointed work and pensions secretary by Johnson in September 2019. “We’ve got priorities A, B, C, D – ambulances, backlogs, care, D – doctors and dentists. Asked whether she is ready for strikes, Coffey said: “I think we’ve got to be ready for patients and that’s my top priority, and how we can make best use of our department and of course the NHS in order to achieve the best outcomes for them.” And we’re going to work through that and we’ll make sure that we’re delivering for the patients”. [Liz Truss](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/Liz-Truss) has appointed [Therese Coffey](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/Therese-Coffey) deputy prime minister and health secretary during a major reshuffle of the government.

She has also been made Deputy Prime Minister – the first woman to have the job – ranking second to Liz Truss and giving her a powerful role at the heart of ...

She was a pretty high-up accountant at the BBC, she knows how to read a spreadsheet. She will be in a good position to do that. and she might be criticised for not going far enough on bringing the private sector in. A source said: “She got the social security system through a pandemic with hardly a press headline. She turned up to the meetings, put the questions, but never pushed hard on anything.” One of her first jobs was as an accountant at the BBC.

Health leaders have set out the challenges facing the new Health Secretary.

Things must be different this time, and the Government must now work with the medical profession and its trade union to effect concrete change for the future of the NHS and its patients.” Pat Cullen, general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “Ms Coffey must buck the trend of her predecessors and listen to nursing staff. “Staff feel overwhelmed and consistently let down by governments who had it in their power to really help them – and our patients. [Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) [Privacy policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en) and [Terms of service](https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en) apply. Ms Coffey, told Sky News: “We’ve got priorities A, B, C, D – ambulances, backlogs, care, D – doctors and dentists. Mr Javid in turn replaced Matt Hancock after he resigned for breaching pandemic rules. “A simple way to recruit and retain nursing staff – and to keep patients safe – is to pay them fairly for the invaluable work they do. “Ahead of another perilous winter for our health service, she has a unique opportunity to change the trajectory of the NHS for the better. “The new Prime Minister stood on the steps of Downing Street today and pledged to put the NHS on a ‘firm footing’. Asked whether she is ready for strikes, she said: “I think we’ve got to be ready for patients and that’s my top priority, and how we can make best use of our department and of course the NHS in order to achieve the best outcomes for them”. [Secretary of State](/topic/secretary-of-state) for Health and Social Care for England, Ms Coffey is stepping up to become Liz Truss’s second-in-command as Deputy [Prime Minister](/topic/prime-minister).

Liz Truss' health secretary and deputy prime minister Thérèse Coffey is staunchly opposed to LGBTQ+ rights and dislikes abortion.

In 2012, she told a Twitter user: “I believe family is the main purpose of marriage”. Writing at the time, Coffey said the government was trying to “redefine marriage” without a mandate. That’s not all – Coffey has fought consistently against social changes that could better the lives of LGBTQ+ people. [The Telegraph](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/09/06/liz-truss-new-pm-cabinet-boris-johnson-speech-queen-live/), Coffey is “little known to the wider public” but is thought to be one of Truss’ closest friends in politics. “I took the view at the time, and I still hold to that, I have a strong faith background about what is a legal partnership and what is marriage, but that is not a question for today,” Coffey said. Even worse, Coffey was part of a group of 15 MPs who urged the House of Lords to block same-sex marriage after the House of Commons voted in its favour in 2013.

The new Prime Minister has rewarded her long-time ally and fellow karaoke enthusiast with a significant promotion. | ITV National News.

Becoming deputy prime minister is quite a promotion for Ms Coffey, who only joined the Cabinet when she was appointed work and pensions secretary by Mr Johnson in September 2019. Born in 1971 in Lancashire, Ms Coffey went to school in Liverpool before heading to Oxford and then to University College London to do a PhD in chemistry. Asked whether she is ready for strikes, Ms Coffey said: “I think we’ve got to be ready for patients and that’s my top priority, and how we can make best use of our department and of course the NHS in order to achieve the best outcomes for them.”

The new health secretary has opposed extending abortion rights but has said the law wouldn't change.

One country, Malta, where abortion is illegal, has signed since the amendment. "It's why we have to put the freedom of women in the UK to choose to have an abortion beyond interference just as the government has pledged to protect freedom of speech from interference too." Ms Murphy told the BBC: "Earlier this year, the new health secretary voted to revoke access to at-home abortion care, and recriminalise women who end their own pregnancies without the approval of two doctors. She voted against extending abortion rights to women in Northern Ireland, but wrote at the time this was because she supported devolution and did not believe the UK Parliament should be "exercising direct rule on this issue". [Her motion in 2010](https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/41801/informed-consent-for-abortion) said: "In its 14 March 2008 statement the Royal College of Psychiatrists advised that healthcare professionals who assess or refer women who are requesting an abortion should assess for mental disorder and for risk factors that may be associated with its subsequent development" and called on the government to "give its full backing to mental health assessments for women presenting for abortion". Ms Coffey previously voted to revoke access to at-home abortion care, and against extending abortion rights to women in Northern Ireland.

Newly appointed health secretary Therese Coffey has said she won't seek to overturn current abortion laws despite having previously voted against exte...

“I want to use every capacity that we can in this country because what happens is the outcome for patients,” she added. There is particular concern that the tougher winter months could put the health service under further pressure. “I am conscious I have voted against abortion laws, what I will say is I am a complete democrat and that is done so its not I’m seeking to undo any aspect of abortion laws,” she explained.

Deputy Prime Minister is also under fire for her record of voting against abortion.

My focus is on patients and that is what I will be making sure the department focuses on too." "What I will say is I'm the complete democrat and that is done, so it's not that I'm seeking to undo any aspects of abortion laws." She has previously spoken out against abortion based on her religious views, admitting that she would "prefer that people didn't have abortions but I am not going to condemn people that do". Ms Coffey responded: "My focus is on how we deliver for patients and I appreciate I may not be the role model, but I am sure that the Chief Medical Officer and others will continue to be role models in that regard and I will do my best as well." She added: "I will probably get all sorts of comments, Nick, but nevertheless, on a more serious matter, I have been a patient of the NHS too and have had some brilliant experiences and I have had some experiences where it could have been better. [Therese Coffey ](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/09/05/why-old-friend-therese-coffey-perfect-foil-liz-truss/)has admitted she is "not the role model" when it comes to her personal health after being questioned about her weight and smoking.

Health Secretary Therese Coffey has denied she will seek to change abortion laws after a charity warned her views on the issue were “deeply concerning”.

Ms Coffey, a practising Catholic, recently voted to revoke access to at-home abortion pills and against extending abortion rights in Northern Ireland. In June, she said she would “prefer that people didn’t have abortions” but would not “condemn people that do”. Speaking to Sky News on Wednesday morning, Ms Coffey said she was “conscious” that she had voted against abortion laws as an MP but insisted she was “a complete democrat”.

Coffey has 'deeply concerning' record on abortion rights, says British Pregnancy Advisory Service.

She refused to comment on whether the UK will boost government borrowing to fund energy help. “However, parliament voted, and it’s happened, and the regulations are already in place.” [Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) It is based on the current £1,971 energy price cap plus the £400 universal handout announced under Boris Johnson’s government. I have responsibility for England, and that access will continue.” It’s not that I’m seeking to undo any aspects of abortion laws.” I’ve had all sorts of abuse hurled for many years, it doesn’t worry me.” [Privacy policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en) and [Terms of service](https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en) apply. “What I will say is I’m a complete democrat and that is done. The health secretary also insisted that Ms Truss has appointed a “broad church” and a diverse “government of all the talents”, despite criticism that she has culled all Sunak supporters. Grilled about the challenge of paying for health and social care without the guarantee of extra funds, Ms Coffey said: “We will continue to invest the same amount into health and social care that we would setting out through the levee”. [Liz Truss](/topic/liz-truss)’s new health secretary [Therese Coffey](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/therese-coffey) has insisted she will “not seek to undo” [abortion](/topic/abortion) laws, amid concern from campaigners about her voting record on the issue.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) has described the new Health Secretary's record on abortion rights as “deeply concerning”.

Insisting her focus is on ensuring the NHS fulfils its essential functions, she said: “We’ve got priorities A, B, C, D – ambulances, backlogs, care, D – doctors and dentists. [Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists](https://inews.co.uk/news/abortion-pills-permanently-available-pregnant-women-england-wales-1810883?ico=in-line_link), the [Royal College of Midwives](https://inews.co.uk/news/media/call-the-midwife-bbc-drops-opposition-abortion-advice-259350?ico=in-line_link) and the BMA”, Ms Murphy added. [repeal of Roe vs Wade](https://inews.co.uk/news/roe-vs-wade-what-summary-us-abortion-case-meaning-explained-overturned-supreme-court-1709237?ico=in-line_link), the UK should be a “a beacon for women’s reproductive choice”, Ms Murphy said. [British Pregnancy Advisory Service](https://inews.co.uk/news/nhs-abortion-care-postcode-lottery-england-cut-price-tariffs-1792110?ico=in-line_link) (BPAS) has described the new Health Secretary’s record on abortion rights as “deeply concerning”, suggesting Ms Coffey has put her personal beliefs “above expert clinical guidance”. [repeal of Roe vs Wade, a legal precedent which protected women’s right to abortion in the US,](https://inews.co.uk/news/roe-v-wade-overturning-inhumane-woman-travel-northern-ireland-england-abortion-1708644?ico=in-line_link) Ms Coffey said: “I would prefer that people didn’t have abortions but I am not going to condemn people that do”. [former secretary of state for work and pensions](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/who-is-therese-coffey-new-health-secretary-great-political-craft-known-make-savings-1837268?ico=in-line_link), Ms Coffey, 50, has already come under scrutiny for her voting record, particularly on issues relating to her faith.

Deputy PM says newly appointed ministers will show 'they've been considered, they've been competent'

With Truss’s plans to reverse the rise in national insurance to pay for health and social care, Coffey said it would now be funded out of “general taxation”. Although a lot of work had been under way, she said, “this is the time to make sure all the different levers that could be pulled are being checked”. She said it was a mix of Truss’s “proactive” supporters and people who “did not support her as well”.

This is the brilliant moment Britain's new deputy prime minister was interrupted by a Dr Dre alarm during her first interviews in her new role.

It just gets better and better." You've got a phone ringing," Nick said. It's just an 8 o'clock alarm, sorry.