Rishi Sunak is facing pushback from the Tory Right after he brought back Esther McVey as a ‘minister for common sense’ in his new-look Cabinet.

Former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg lashed out at the ‘ridiculously tokenistic’ return of the former work and pensions secretary to the PM’s top team.

McVey was unveiled as a Cabinet Office minister last night and will attend Cabinet with a remit to to focus on combating ‘wokery’ in Whitehall. 

The surprise return of the 56-year-old former television presenter after three-and-a-half years on the backbenches was seen as a nod to the party Right, after a slew of moderates including former PM David Cameron  were appointed in Mr Sunak’s reshuffle.

But Mr Rees-Mogg told Times Radio: He added: ‘I think silly titles for government posts is a Blairite thing. That is not the proper business of government … this is ridiculously tokenistic, won’t impress anybody.’

Former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg lashed out at the ‘ridiculously tokenistic’ return of the former work and pensions secretary to the PM’s top team.

Ms McVey, who married fellow Tory MP Philip Davies in 2020, is set to give up her job as a part-time presenter on GB News to take on her new ministerial role.

Mr Rees-Mogg told Times Radio: He added: ‘I think silly titles for government posts is a Blairite thing. That is not the proper business of government … this is ridiculously tokenistic, won’t impress anybody.’

The surprise return of the 56-year-old former television presenter after three-and-a-half years on the backbenches was seen as a nod to the party Right, after a slew of moderates including former PM David Cameron were appointed in Mr Sunak’s reshuffle.

He added: ‘I welcome Esther’s return because I think she’s highly capable and a good presenter of the Tory cause. 

‘I think having a minister for woke is silly and I think it’s deeply regrettable that a minister of the calibre and quality of Jeremy Quin, who was in the Cabinet Office, has been lost to the government and they brought in somebody with a silly title.’ 

Ms McVey, a former work and pensions secretary under ex-PM Theresa May, will officially be known as a minister without portfolio.

But No10 suggested the 56-year-old Liverpudlian would likely be known as ‘common sense minister’ and would ‘stand up for working people’.

The move to reappoint Ms McVey to Cabinet will be seen as Mr Sunak’s olive branch to the Tory Right, after the PM angered many of his backbenchers by sacking Suella Braverman as Home Secretary.

Ms McVey, who married fellow Tory MP Philip Davies in 2020, is set to give up her job as a part-time presenter on GB News to take on her new ministerial role.

The ex-GMTV star has previously held a series of ministerial positions since becoming an MP and served under previous PMs David Cameron, Mrs May and Boris Johnson.

She ran to be Tory leader in 2019, after Mrs May announced her resignation as PM, as part of a Blue Collar Conservatives campaign. 

But Ms McVey failed to make it past the first round of voting among Tory MPs.

She revived her hopes of top office in July last year, when she endorsed Jeremy Hunt in the contest to replace Mr Johnson as PM.

Ms McVey was Mr Hunt’s candidate for deputy PM, but he was defeated in the first round of parliamentary voting.

Her return to Cabinet today will be viewed as part of Mr Sunak’s efforts to shore up his right flank following the departure of Mrs Braverman.

In the wake of fierce rows over her comments about rough sleepers and a pro-Palestine march on Armistice Day, Mrs Braverman was ousted from the Home Office by Mr Sunak in a phone call this morning.

But the PM’s move to replace her with James Cleverly, the former foreign secretary, at the start of a dramatic reshuffle sparked fury among Conservative backbenchers.

One former minister lamented how Mrs Braverman had been sacked for ‘speaking the truth’ on issues such as homelessness and demonstrations about Israel’s conflict with Hamas.

Another suggested Mr Sunak had made the Tories’ chances of winning the next general election even harder by removing a figure who ‘understands what the country thinks’ on migration.