Health reforms critic Normal Lamb has replaced Care Services Minister Paul Burstow in a dramatic government shake-up.
Speaking before the listening exercise in April 2011, Lib Dem Lamb, then chief political adviser and Commons aide to the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, was vocal in his concerns about the “very risky” legislation, complaining it wasn’t “evolutionary enough”.
He even threatened to walk over the reforms.
“I’ve said if it’s impossible for me to carry on in my position I will step down, I don’t want to cause embarrassment, but I feel very strongly about this issue,” he told BBC1’s The Politics Show.
Other casualties of the reshuffle were Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, who has been demoted to Leader of the Commons and will be replaced by former Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, and Nursing and Public Health Minister Anne Milton, who will be replaced by his party former journalist Anna Soubry.
No new roles have been announced for both Milton and Burstow.
But it was not all bad news for the government’s health team.
Health Minister Simon Burns was awarded a promotion to Transport Minister and Earl Howe kept his job in the House of Lords.
Burns has been replaced by Dr Daniel Poulter – a former member of the Health Select Committee.
