He served as Secretary of State for Health, later Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, from 2012 until 2018. He oversaw the imposition of a controversial new junior doctors' contract in England after the failure of negotiations. During the dispute, junior doctors undertook multiple strikes, the first such industrial action for 40 years. Hunt was re-appointed Health Secretary in the May Government; with the re-instated portfolio of social care in England in January 2018. It was widely reported that Hunt was due to be moved from the Department for Health to become Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, but refused. Instead he defended his position as Health Secretary and convinced May to allow him to remain in post, and for "Social Care" to be added (anew) to the name of his department. On 3 June 2018, Hunt became the longest-serving Health Secretary in British political history. The following month, he was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, following the resignation of Boris Johnson over the Chequers Agreement. He resigned following Johnson's election as Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister on 24 July 2019.