BORIS Johnson will wield the axe again today as he continues the shock shake up of his top team.
On a second dramatic day of his surprise reshuffle the PM is set to chop and change another series of key ministerial posts.
Long-serving schools minister Nick Gibb has been given the chop in a move that stunned Westminster.
And this morning ex Cabinet heavyweight Penny Mordaunt was also shifted from her role as Paymaster General to trade minister.
Defence secretary Ben Wallace insisted colleagues weren’t sacked for “incompetence” but because the PM wanted to “bring on talent”.
So far Boris has demoted Dominic Raab and sacked Gavin Williamson in a radical overhaul of his top team.
Embattled Mr Raab accepted a humiliating shunting from Foreign to Justice Secretary following a terse meeting with the PM this afternoon.
To soften the blow Mr Johnson gave him the job title as Deputy PM, a symbolic promotion from his current role as First Secretary of State.
Liz Truss was promoted as his replacement in the Foreign Office, meaning – with Priti Patel – two of the top four jobs in Government are held by women.
Gaffe-prone Mr Williamson was replaced by rising star Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi, whose job was invented during the pandemic.
Read our Boris Johnson live blog below for the latest updates…
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FIRST DAY IN THE JOB
Liz Truss smiles for the cameras as she starts her first day as Foreign Secretary.
She’s the first female Tory to ever hold the post and was the biggest winner from yesterday’s Cabinet reshuffle.
This morning she sat pride of place beside Boris Johnson in the House of Commons.
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JOHN WHITTINGDALE OUT AS CULTURE MINISTER
John Whittingdale tweeted to say he was “stepping down” as a minister in the Culture Department this morning.
A former Culture Secretary, he only yesterday made a keynote speech to the Royal Television Society.
But his absence in the Commons earlier for Culture Questions all but confirmed his departure.
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ROW AS STARMER ALLY TAKES AIM AT ZAHAWI
A Labour frontbencher sparked a furious row this morning by accusing Iraqi-refugee and new Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi of not knowing hardship.
West Streeting lamented “yet another Education Secretary that didn’t go to state school like most people.”
Fuming Tories rallied to Mr Zahawi’s defence – pointing out that he fled Saddam Hussein to the UK as a child without be able to speak a word of English.
Conservative MP Richard Holden tweeted: “This is unbelievably cheap from the normally pretty sensible Wes Streeting.”
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NADINE ALREADY IN POST
No time to ease into the job for Nadine Dorries, who is taking questions in the Commons just hours after being appointed Culture Secretary.
Tory MPs are congratulating Dorries for her promotion from junior health minister.
Dorries is an accomplished author and famously appeared on I’m A Celebrity.
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GIBB GOING MAKES ZAHAWI’S JOB HARDER
You may have never heard of him, but for the best part of a decade Nick Gibb has been quietly toiling away as a vital cog in the Department for Education.
From 2005-2010 he served as the shadow schools minister, before taking on the role for real under David Cameron’s coalition government.
Bar a short two-year hiatus on the backbenches, Gibb has remained in post ever since.
His experience had seemed to make him unsackable – but last night he surprisingly announced he had left the Government.
With a fresh-faced Education Secretary in Nadhim Zahawi, who’s left with a rammed in-tray, time will tell how much of a loss Gibb will be for the nation’s schools.
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MUSICAL CHAIRS
Penny Mordaunt has been shunted from her role as Paymaster General to take on a new job as a trade minister.
That means Michael Ellis, the current Solicitor General for England and Wales, will move into her old job at the Cabinet Office.
Making way from the trade department is Greg Hands, who is moving to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Lots of ministers getting to grips with their new briefs this morning…
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BEN THERE DONE THAT
Defence secretary Ben Wallace has defended the PM’s Cabinet cull and insisted colleagues weren’t sacked for being bad at their jobs.
He said Boris wanted to bring in new talent, including more women into top jobs, and give rising stars added experience.
Mr Wallace said he’d “lost some very good personal friends” in the reshuffle and predicted he too will be axed one day.
He said: “The PM has to make those tough decisions. He has removed people from government not because they’re incompetent, not because they weren’t loyal enough, but often he has to refresh his team.
“Politics is often a business of the moment. There are people that are right for certain times and there are people are right for other times.”
He even defended Dominic Raab, who he clashed with over the Afghanistan crisis, insisting the ex foreign secretary wasn’t demoted for his bungled handling of the evacuation from Kabul.
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MOVES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
- Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi is promoted to education secretary
- Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick is fired – and replaced by Michael Gove
- Treasury minister Steve Barclay replaces Mr Gove as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- Oliver Dowden is given the role of minister without portfolio at the Cabinet Office
- Mr Dowden also becomes Conservative Party co-chair, replacing Amanda Milling
- Simon Clarke becomes Chief Secretary to the Treasury
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RECAP: WHO’S IN AND WHO’S OUT?
Gavin Williamson, Education Secretary = OUT
Robert Buckland, Justice Secretary = OUT
Robert Jenrick, Housing Secretary = OUT
Amanda Milling as Conservative Party co-chair = OUTStephen Barclay shifts from chief secretary to the Treasury to become chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Cabinet Office minister.
Nadine Dorries becomes Culture Secretary.
Nadhim Zahawi promoted to Education Secretary.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan makes a swift return to cabinet as International Trade Secretary.
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PENNY FOR HER THOUGHTS
Ex Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt has revealed that she’s been sacked from her job as Paymaster General.
The former big hitter, who was defence secretary under Theresa May, had even been tipped by some for a promotion before the reshuffle.
She campaigned alongside Boris Johnson for Brexit as a key member of Vote Leave back in 2016.
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MOVES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
- Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi is promoted to education secretary
- Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick is fired – and replaced by Michael Gove
- Treasury minister Steve Barclay replaces Mr Gove as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- Oliver Dowden is given the role of minister without portfolio at the Cabinet Office
- Mr Dowden also becomes Conservative Party co-chair, replacing Amanda Milling
- Simon Clarke becomes Chief Secretary to the Treasury
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WELSH TORIES WILL WORK ‘SHOULDER TO SHOULDER’ WITH UK GOVERNMENT
Commenting on the Prime Minister’s cabinet reshuffle, Welsh Conservative Senedd leader, Andrew RT Davies MS said: “First and foremost, I would like to thank every departing cabinet minister for their efforts in government, particularly over the past 18 months as Britain has tackled our biggest ever peacetime crisis.
“Upon entering government, the Prime Minister set out a dynamic and ambitious vision to level up the whole of the country. This reshuffle delivers a strong and united team as we recover from the pandemic and get Britain back on the road to prosperity.
“From the Senedd, the Welsh Conservatives will work shoulder to shoulder with Boris Johnson’s new cabinet as they redouble their efforts to deliver on the people’s priorities and build a better Britain.”
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PATEL: ‘THERE IS STILL SO MUCH MORE TO DO’
Priti Patel has said it is “a huge privilege” to remain at the Home Office amid Boris Johnson’s Cabinet reshuffle.
“A huge privilege to continue serving as Home Secretary under our Prime Minister Boris Johnson,” she tweeted.
“There is still so much more to do to deliver for the British people. Tackling illegal migration, cutting crime and continuing to keep our great country safe.”
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KATE GREEN SPEAKS ON GAVIN WILLIAMSON SACKING
Shadow education secretary Kate Green said Mr Williamson had: “failed children and young people, their parents and our hard-working education staff throughout one of the most testing periods in our history”.
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DOM’S ‘PRIVILEGE’ TO SERVE AS FOREIGN SEC
Dominic Raab tonight spoke out after being demoted from Foreign Secretary.
He said he was “delighted” to have been appointed Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister and will turn his attention to cutting crime.
Mr Raab is a former junior minister in the Justice Department.
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‘LET’S GET ON WITH THE JOB’
In a statement, the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson has written: “The Cabinet I have appointed today will work tirelessly to unite and level up the whole country.
“We will build back better from the pandemic and deliver on your priorities.
“Now let’s get on with the job.”
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ONE OF THE BIGGEST HEADLINES OF THE RESHUFFLE
One of the biggest headlines of the reshuffle is Dominic Raab’s demotion from Foreign Secretary to Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor.
His handling of the crisis in Afghanistan put him under severe pressure – with other cabinet figures briefing heavily against him, and opposition parties demanding he resign or be sacked.
Mr Raab has also officially become deputy prime minister, a role he de facto previously had as First Secretary of State.
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MOVES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
- Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi is promoted to education secretary
- Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick is fired – and replaced by Michael Gove
- Treasury minister Steve Barclay replaces Mr Gove as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- Oliver Dowden is given the role of minister without portfolio at the Cabinet Office
- Mr Dowden also becomes Conservative Party co-chair, replacing Amanda Milling
- Simon Clarke becomes Chief Secretary to the Treasury
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THE NEW EDUCATION SECRETARY, NADHIM ZAHAWI ‘HONOURED’ TO BE WORKING AT THE DOE
The new education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, says he’s honoured to be working at the Department for Education in his new role:
“Children and young people have had a tough time during this pandemic and I’ll be listening to them and their families as we accelerate our work to build back better and fairer.
“From my own experience, I know what a beacon of opportunity this country can be and I want all children, young people and adults to have access to a brilliant education, the right qualifications and opportunities to secure good jobs. That’s both vital for them and also our economy and is more important now than ever before.
“I can’t wait to get started, working with the amazing teachers and staff in our nurseries, schools, colleges and universities as well as employers and businesses.”
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NO DEEP FREEZE FOR FROSTY
Lord Frost stays in his post as minister of state at the Cabinet office, overseeing Brexit related issues.Days earlier, he warned Brussels will be “making a significant mistake” if it underestimates No 10’s resolve to end the red tape chaos ravaging NI firms.
In a punchy speech to peers he told eurocrats only a “real negotiation” on a long-term solution will avoid a major confrontation.
But he insisted Boris Johnson will only pull the trigger if he’s left with no other “choice” and called for both sides to move towards each other.
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PATEL: ‘THERE IS STILL SO MUCH MORE TO DO’
Priti Patel has said it is “a huge privilege” to remain at the Home Office amid Boris Johnson’s Cabinet reshuffle.
“A huge privilege to continue serving as Home Secretary under our Prime Minister Boris Johnson,” she tweeted.
“There is still so much more to do to deliver for the British people. Tackling illegal migration, cutting crime and continuing to keep our great country safe.”
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RECAP: WHO’S STAYING? (CONTINUED…)
Simon Hart – Wales secretary
Alister Jack – Scotland secretary
Suella Braverman – attorney general
Lord Frost – Brexit minister in the Cabinet Office
Mark Spencer – chief whip
Jacob Rees-Mogg – Commons leader
Baroness Evans – Lords leader
Kit Malthouse – Home Office and Ministry of Justice minister and will attend cabinet
Michelle Donelan – minister of state at Department for Education and will attend cabinet
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RECAP: WHO’S STAYING?
Rishi Sunak – chancellor
Priti Patel – home secretary
Sajid Javid – health secretary
Ben Wallace – defence secretary
Grant Shapps – transport secretary
Kwasi Kwarteng – business secretary
Therese Coffey – work and pensions secretary
George Eustice – environment secretary
Alok Sharma – COP26 president
Brandon Lewis – Northern Ireland secretary
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WELSH TORIES WILL WORK ‘SHOULDER TO SHOULDER’ WITH UK GOVERNMENT
Commenting on the Prime Minister’s cabinet reshuffle, Welsh Conservative Senedd leader, Andrew RT Davies MS said: “First and foremost, I would like to thank every departing cabinet minister for their efforts in government, particularly over the past 18 months as Britain has tackled our biggest ever peacetime crisis.
“Upon entering government, the Prime Minister set out a dynamic and ambitious vision to level up the whole of the country. This reshuffle delivers a strong and united team as we recover from the pandemic and get Britain back on the road to prosperity.
“From the Senedd, the Welsh Conservatives will work shoulder to shoulder with Boris Johnson’s new cabinet as they redouble their efforts to deliver on the people’s priorities and build a better Britain.”
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KATE GREEN SPEAKS ON GAVIN WILLIAMSON SACKING
Shadow education secretary Kate Green said Mr Williamson had: “failed children and young people, their parents and our hard-working education staff throughout one of the most testing periods in our history”.
