Theresa May's fury at Home Office job for Norman Baker Biggest shock of reshuffle saw Jeremy Browne sacked from Home Office Replacement Norman Baker accused security services of death cover-up Home Secretary not consulted about job condemned as 'Lib Dem in-joke' Treasury minister Danny Alexander defends role but disputes conspiracy By James Chapman and Matt Chorley Theresa May has reacted with fury as Downing Street agreed to the promotion of an "eccentric" Liberal Democrat MP to the Home Office without consulting her. In the biggest shock of yesterday's reshuffles, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg gave the Home Office job to Norman Baker, who wrote a book suggesting UN weapons inspector Dr David Kelly was murdered by an Iraqi hit squad and the incident was covered up by British security services He has also said that he believes the death of former Labour foreign secretary Robin Cook may have been suspicious. Clash: The move to send Lib Dem Norman Baker to the Home Office has sparked a furious response from Home Secretary Theresa May Jeremy Browne, one of the leading figures on the Liberal Democrat right, was sacked to make way for former transport minister Mr Baker. Though he is widely seen to have been a hardworking and successful rail minister, senior Government sources expressed astonishment that Mr Baker had been promoted to a position in which he will be expected to work closely with the security services, having expressed such views. Mrs May is understood not to have been given any forewarning of his appointment. One official said it was "incredible" that the Prime Minister had given it the green light and suggested the Home Secretary would freeze him out of key meetings. Though Mr Clegg is in charge of Lib Dem appointments to government, they all have to be signed off by Mr Cameron. Morning after: Mrs May arrived at Downing Street for a Cabinet meeting today, still reeling from the news of her new Lib Dem colleague Another Home Office source said as rumours began to sweep Westminster of Mr Baker's promotion yesterday: "Is it true? Tell me not! Norman is one of life's eccentrics. To send him to work for Theresa looks like an elaborate Lib Dem in-joke Senior Tory source One senior Tory added: "Norman is an interesting character but let's face it, he is one of life's eccentrics. To send him to work for Theresa at the Home Office looks like an elaborate Lib Dem in-joke. Mr Baker himself is understood to have wanted to remain at transport, where he had been masterminding measures to ease the burden on hard-pressed rail commuters. Lib Dem Treasury minister Danny Alexander today defended the appointment, insisting Mr Baker had been 'an enormously effective minister in the Department for Transport, he's done a great job for the Government and for the Liberal Democrats and I think he deserves this opportunity'. Mr Alexander told BBC Radio 4 the move was part of the Lib Dems 'sharpening their campaigning edge' but admitted he did not believe Dr Kelly was murdered. 'I don't think that. Norman's views on that issue are well-explained. I think he wrote a book on the subject. I haven't read it.' Fired: Jeremy Browne, a leading voice on the right of the Lib Dems, was sacked as Home Office minister to make way for Mr Baker Norman Baker took a year-long break from the Lib Dem frontbench to write his book The Strange Death of David Kelly. He claims the former weapons expert did not commit suicide, as the Hutton Inquiry concluded, but was instead murdered. He also raised doubts about the death of former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook. 'My own information strongly suggests that those behind Dr Kelly's death were Iraqi dissidents opposed to Saddam Hussein's regime and angry at Dr Kelly for undermining the case for toppling him. A well-placed source also told me that the British police or security services had been warned of a likely assassination attempt but were not in time to stop it. Did they then try to disguise the murder as suicide for reasons of political expediency? I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that this could not be suicide. 'The medical evidence does not support it and David Kelly's state of mind and personality suggests otherwise. It was not an accident so I am left with the conclusion that it is murder. Robin Cook was on Ministry of Defence land, I believe, when he died and certainly I have doubts over what happened. He later added: 'I have never said that I think Robin Cook was murdered and have no reason to think he was.' Mr Browne told friends he was furious at his dismissal, and there was growing speculation that the Conservatives will now try to tempt him to defect to their party with the offer of another Government job. The energetic Home Office minister, who has been tipped as a potential future leader, angered some Lib Dem colleagues by garnering more headlines than most of them during the party's annual conference last month. He suggested the veil should be barred in certain situations and warned Mr Clegg against seeking to rebuild support by listing Tory policies his party had blocked in coalition. Mr Browne was also attacked by Left-wing colleagues after being left out of the loop when the Home Office ordered an advertising campaign involving vans driving round London telling illegal immigrants: "Go home or face arrest." The minister was instrumental in killing off Mr Cameron's plans to introduce a minimum price for alcohol, a move which would have added £100 to the average family's annual shopping bill. Mr Browne and Mrs May teamed up to argue that the move would be profoundly illiberal. One ally of the sacked minister said: "Vince Cable is tolerated however much disloyal agitating he does from the left of the party, but it seems Nick Clegg didn't want to tolerate the slightest constructive criticism from the right." Lib Dem sources insisted Mr Browne, who also served the Government as a Foreign Office minister, had failed to make an impact at the Home Office, where Mr Baker would be a more "liberal voice." "He might have looked good on Newsnight, but how many times did you ever hear him talking about his brief?" said one. Mr Baker's book, called The Strange Death of David Kelly, which was serialised by the Daily Mail, examined the theory that UN weapons inspector Dr Kelly, the source of a BBC story alleging Tony Blair and his team "sexed up" the case for war with Iraq, did not commit suicide but was murdered. The Lewes MP, who is on the left of his party, said he was "convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that this could not be suicide" and concluded an Iraqi exile group was responsible. Mr Baker has also been quoted in his local newspaper as saying: "Robin Cook was on Ministry of Defence land, I believe, when he died and certainly I have doubts over what happened." However, he later insisted this had been a "flippant comment." Last night he said he would bring a "clear, liberal input" to the Home Office and rejected the idea that he was a "conspiracy theorist," saying people "tend to use the term when they want to insult people." Mr Baker said Mr Clegg was "very well aware" of his book about Dr Kelly's death because he had taken a year away from the party's front bench in order to write it. The Deputy Prime Minister also sacked Scotland Secretary Michael Moore and replaced him with Lib Dem chief whip Alistair Carmichael.