British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday appointed minister Steve Barclay as his new chief of staff. The move comes after Downing Street has been hit by a wave of resignations.

Guto Harri, who was Johnson’s advisor, when he was the Mayor of London, is to become the director of communications. Johnson’s appointment comes as part of his efforts to “accelerate our defining mission to level up the country”, as per BBC. The embattled Prime Minister recently iterated this wish of levelling up at the House of Commons after Sue Gray’s “partygate” report came out, bringing forth information about the Downing Street parties which took place during the COVID-related lockdowns. 

Also Read | Steve Barclay net worth, wife, family and other details

Five aides at 10 Downing Street have resigned over this row, among whom is Martin Reynolds, the senior civil servant who had sent out invites for a “bring your own booze” party. Johnson’s own statements have exacerbated the issue, with policy chief Munira Mirza quitting over the PM’s false claims about Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile, while he was the director of public prosecutions. 

After the announcements, Johnson said, “This week I promised change, so that we can get on with the job the British public elected us to do. We need to continue our recovery from the pandemic, help hundreds of thousands more people into work, and deliver our ambitious agenda to level up the entire country, improving people’s opportunities regardless of where they’re from. The changes I’m announcing to my senior team today will improve how No 10 operates, strengthen the role of my Cabinet and backbench colleagues, and accelerate our defining mission to level up the country.”

Also Read | UK’s embattled PM Boris Johnson seeks reset with major economic plan

There’ll be more announcements from Downing Street in the coming days, with a focus on improving liaisons and engagements with MPs. 

Also Read | PM Boris Johnson to visit Ukraine, talk to Putin as Russia threatens invasion

After the announcement, Barclay also tweeted about what an honour it was to be asked by the Prime Minister to serve as the Chief of Staff. He added that he’d also be serving in the Cabinet Office. He said, “I am looking forward to working with the PM, ministers and parliamentary colleagues on the issues that matter most to our country”.