Maxwell Stanbrook is a British politician who serves as a Minister in Francis Urquhart's government whom Urquhart promoted to Environment Secretary after the Prime Minister sacks Annita Burke. Stanbrook is put in charge of preventing the construction of the Thatcher statue by Urquhart. When Stanbrook can't find a reason to stop its construction, Urquhart gives him a lecture about following orders.
He is later revealed to be Jewish and of dubious parentage. After Urquhart is killed, it is Stanbrook who prevails over harsh candidates like Arthur Bollingroke to become Prime Minister. Stanbrook (thanks to Urquhart's death, which granted a sympathy vote) wins a landslide majority in Parliament.
He does not appear in the TV version, where it is Tom Makepeace who succeeds Urquhart as Prime Minister.