There’s little doubt Boris Johnson had one issue looming large in his mind when he announced his brutal cabinet reshuffle on Thursday – Brexit.
The loudest voices in the Tory Leave arena, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Dominic Raab to name just two, were rewarded with high profile positions, while detractors such as Jeremy Hunt were given the boot.
But there’s more to life than Brexit. Here’s where select members of the new cabinet stand on LGBTQ issues.
Gavin Williamson
Gavin Williamson has made a swift comeback from being sacked as defence secretary less than three months ago over suspicions he leaked details of Huawei discussions from the National Security Council.
He is now education secretary and will immediately have to deal with the protests against relationships and sex education in classrooms that began in Birmingham and have now spread to Nottingham.
Williamson twice voted against allowing same sex couples to marry in 2013 and against enabling the courts to deal with proceedings for the divorce of, or annulment of the marriage of, a same sex couple and making same sex marriage available to armed forces personnel outside the UK.
But as defence secretary he did work to protect LBGT+ members of the military serving in Brunei from the country’s draconian anti-LGBTQ laws and made a bit of a show when the UK armed forces were listed in the top 100 LGBTQ employers.
And in February of this year, Williamson urged a change in the law to end marriage curbs on gay members of the Armed Forces.
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Jacob Rees-Mogg has been summoned from the back benches to become Leader of the House of Commons, and in an unusual move he will attend cabinet meetings despite not being a full member of the cabinet.
The MP for North East Somerset has consistently voted against same-sex marriage and believes the teachings of the church should take priority over the government on the issue.
Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain in 2017, he said: “I’m a Catholic, I take the teaching of the Catholic church seriously. Marriage is a sacrament and the view of what marriage is is taken by the church, not parliament.
“I support the teaching of the Catholic church. The marriage issue is the important thing, this is not how people arrange their lives.”
Andrea Leadsom
Of all the members of of Jonson’s new cabinet, Leadsom’s comments on LGBTQ issues are perhaps the most controversial.
The new business secretary was forced to deny claims she opposes LGBTQ education in schools, after saying parents should decide when their children are “exposed” to information about gay relationships.
Commenting on the Birmingham school protests, Leadsom came under fire in March after she told LBC that families should be able to withdraw children from lessons about LGBTQ relationships “up to a certain age”.
She has never voted one way or the other on gay rights or gay marriage.
Esther McVey
The new minister of housing, communities and local government in another new cabinet member who has come under fire for comments on the Birmingham schools row.
While she did condemn the protestors, she also added: “The final say is with the parents. If parents want to take their young children – primary school children – out of certain forms of sex and relationship education then that is down to them.”
She was even criticised by members of her own party, with Justine Greening saying you “can’t pick and choose on human rights and equality”.
McVey twice voted against gay marriage in 2013.
It’s also worth noting there is now no gay member of the cabinet after David Mundell was given the boot in favour of Alister Jack.