Boris Johnson is carrying out the first major reshuffle of his cabinet since being elected prime minister in December. This is who’s out so far:
Julian Smith
The chief whip was initially rumoured for the chop after being difficult over Johnson’s Brexit strategy in the autumn. However, he was widely thought to have gained a reprieve after securing the return of Stormont. A former chief whip and ally of Theresa May, it seems he was never quite trusted by Team Johnson. No 10 sources briefed that he had irritated the PM over plans to allow soldiers to be prosecuted over actions in the Troubles, even though this was subject to full cabinet agreement. His sacking is likely to be greeted with dismay in Northern Ireland, where he was regarded as a very good secretary of state with a grip on complex problems.
A former businessman, he was perhaps best known for demanding the Guardian be prosecuted over the Edward Snowden revelations before May elevated him to the cabinet. He has represented the safe North Yorkshire seat of Skipton and Ripon since 2010 and now returns to the backbenches.
Andrea Leadsom
The former Tory leadership contender has lost her role as business secretary, having served in cabinet jobs since 2016. The former business executive was a significant figure by the end of the May government, becoming leader of the Commons and enjoying fiery exchanges with the then Speaker, John Bercow. Colleagues have praised her personal drive in rolling out better reporting strategies in cases of bullying and sexual harassment in the Commons. As secretary of state for business and previously environment, however, she has not counted many successes. Preparing companies for Brexit and helping them withstand new customs checks will be a major focus for the government for the next few months and Johnson is expected to install someone he considers to be a “big hitter”.
Esther McVey
The cheerleader of blue-collar conservatism and Brexiter is no stranger to entering and exiting the cabinet, or parliament, over the years. The GMTV presenter-turned-politician was elected in 2010 for Wirral West and lost her seat in 2015 to Labour’s Margaret Greenwood. In that time she enjoyed a high profile for a new MP, serving as a minister at the Department for Work and Pensions working under Iain Duncan Smith as he rolled out the controversial welfare overhaul universal credit. She won George Osborne’s former seat, Tatton, in 2017 and in her comeback to parliament she was promoted to secretary of state for work and pensions under May. She received significant criticism for misleading parliament over universal credit, after telling MPs that the National Audit Office felt the benefit was progressing too slowly and should be rolled out faster. In her apology, she said it had been inadvertent. In 2019 she launched her own bid to be leader of the Conservatives with little success and was knocked out in the first round. Her partner is fellow Tory MP Philip Davies.
Geoffrey Cox
The attorney general with a booming voice and loquacious manner has been relieved of his position. No 10 sources had briefed that he fell out of favour after being condescending in cabinet and was not considered a “team player”. He will not go short of employment as before entering the job under May he had a lucrative career as a barrister on the side of being an MP. Formerly the highest earning MP, he has acted for companies based in the Cayman Islands and attacked plans for tax havens to be subject to more scrutiny. His most controversial act in government was to refuse to give legal advice saying May’s Brexit deal allowed the UK to exit the Northern Irish backstop. He is also said to have threatened to resign if Johnson had not agreed to write to the EU for an extension to article 50 in the autumn. However, he appears to be still hoping for a government-related role in charge of No 10’s review of the judiciary.
