Coffey, a close friend of new PM, faces daunting task as she becomes third health and social care secretary in two months
Thérèse Coffey is a beer, music and football-loving MP whose lively karaoke parties are the stuff of legend at Westminster. One regular attender has been her good friend Liz Truss, who has appointed the Suffolk Coastal MP as the new health and social care secretary – the third in just two months.
She is renowned as a work obsessive, even by parliament’s usual standards. “Her life is basically all about Westminster,” one colleague told the Sunday Times recently. Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) officials should brace themselves for a very demanding new boss. Despite her reputation as a tough taskmaster, though, she is very popular with colleagues. “She is convivial and pleasant company, and fond of a few drinks,” one says.