Therese Coffey

“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.

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.

New British Prime Minister Liz Truss appointed Therese Coffey as her deputy prime minister and as health minister, Downing Street said on Tuesday.

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Therese Coffey has inherited an NHS and social care system “in crisis”, health leaders have said.

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. 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.” We hope that she, and the new Health and Social Care Secretary, will not duck these big issues and work with those on the frontline to deliver solutionsSaffron Cordery, NHS Providers “Staff feel overwhelmed and consistently let down by governments who had it in their power to really help them – and our patients. Mr Javid in turn replaced Matt Hancock after he resigned for breaching pandemic rules. Ms Coffey, told Sky News: “We’ve got priorities A, B, C, D – ambulances, backlogs, care, D – doctors and dentists.

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).

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.

Liz Truss has named Thérèse Coffey as her new health secretary, following her appointment as Prime Minister yesterday.

[Who is new health secretary Therese Coffey?](https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/analysis/breaking-news/who-is-new-health-secretary-therese-coffey/) [ensuring people have access to GP appointments is one of her ‘three early priorities’ in the role.](https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/breaking-news/new-prime-minister-names-gp-appointment-access-as-priority-in-first-speech/) [work and pensions secretary](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/therese-coffey) since 2019.

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.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service has called the new health secretary's record on abortion rights "deeply concerning". Therese Coffey, appointed by new ...

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 that by voting to revoke access to at-home abortion care, she was voting "against the advice of leading medical bodies including Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Midwives and the BMA". Ms Murphy said the UK should be "a beacon for women's reproductive choice", especially after the repeal of Roe v Wade, a legal precedent that safeguarded access to abortion in the US. When asked about the vote, Ms Coffey said she was "a democrat and the vote was won in Parliament by people who wanted to make that permanent". 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".

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.

Health secretary says Truss did not focus too much on rewarding friends as new ministers attend first cabinet meeting.

But if it is ambitious and clear and comprehensive enough to persuade people it will work (like furlough, a textbook example of a successful “big bazooka” government intervention), then Truss and the Tories could be on the road to recovery. This is, I think, a government of all the talents that we have in this party. And tomorrow that plan is expected to be unveiled to MPs in a statement to the Commons. Asked on the Today programme about claims that this was a “cabinet of chums”, where loyalty, not competence, was being rewarded, Coffey said: If it crashes – if the public, and the media/expert voices who influence what they think, judge that it won’t work – then it is hard to see how her premiership will recover. Liz Truss is chairing a meeting of her new cabinet this morning at the start of what will be an intense 48-hours for her government. She said the government would not charge people to see a GP. But I do think it’s incredibly important that the government thinks through and gets to a better or more targeted way of supporting (people) as we get through to next winter. It is good to see that Liz Truss is taking this seriously and looking at energy price freezes. I rather suspect it is an inevitable way in the short run if everybody needs help is to get that help. Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England, and some of his senior colleagues have just started giving evidence to the Commons Treasury committee. Containing no fewer than five other candidates from the recent leadership election, this is a cabinet which will unify the party, get our economy growing and deliver for the British people.

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.