British PM's cabinet reshuffle marred by resignation

LONDON - British Prime Minister Theresa May's long-awaited government reshuffle on Monday was branded ineffectual and shambolic after she promoted few fresh faces to her top team and a minister resigned rather than accept a new post. Education Secretary Justine Greening became the fourth minister to leave the Cabinet since November 2017, after resisting a request to move to the welfare and pensions ministry.

Meanwhile health minister Jeremy Hunt convinced May at the last minute to scrap plans to move him to the business department, according to media reports.

Most of her senior ministers also kept their jobs in the reshuffle, including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Brexit minister David Davis and finance minister Philip Hammond.

The prime minister carried out what her office called a "refresh" of the government after sacking her deputy Damian Green in December 2017, in a row over pornography found on his computer in 2008.

His departure followed those of the defence and aid ministers in unrelated scandals the in November 2017.

May hoped the shakeup would help her reassert authority ahead of crunch Brexit negotiations this year, and following a torrid 2017 in which she lost her parliamentary majority in a snap election last summer.

An interim deal on Brexit in December 2017 appeared to give her new impetus, and the much-anticipated reshuffle was arranged.