Cabinet top five are retained as major reshuffle is abandoned
THERESA MAY has abandoned plans for a major reshuffle of her Cabinet amid fears that she cannot afford to alienate senior ministers in the wake of the Tories’ disastrous election.
The Prime Minister announced yesterday that her five most senior ministers will all keep their jobs.
During the election she repeatedly refused to commit to retaining Philip Hammond as her Chancellor during a joint press conference with him.
He was widely expected to be moved on after a series of clashes with Downing Street over a humiliating Budget U-turn on plans to hike national insurance earlier this year.
Mr Hammond tweeted: “Pleased to have been re-appointed so we can now get on and negotiate a Brexit deal that supports British jobs, business and prosperity.”
Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, has also retained his role despite fears that he could be moved on if Mrs May secured a significant majority.
He tweeted: “Delighted to be reappointed Foreign Secretary. Lots of great work to do for [the] greatest country on earth. Let’s get cracking for global Britain.”
Amber Rudd, who won her seat in Hastings with a majority of just 346 votes, will stay on as Home Secretary and Sir Michael Fallon will be retained as Defence Secretary.
David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, will remain in post despite mounting tensions in Cabinet over his role in Mrs May’s campaign.
Mr Davis is blamed by some of his fellow Cabinet ministers for helping convince Mrs May to call a snap election after promising not to do so.
The announcements came after a day in which many ministers refused publicly to give their support to Mrs May, with several privately questioning whether she could stay on. The remainder of the reshuffle will be carried out over the weekend, and is likely to focus on filling the posts of the six predominantly junior ministers who lost their seats during the election.
They include Ben Gummer, the Cabinet minister who helped write the disastrous Conservative manifesto.
Senior Conservative sources said that there would not be “sweeping” changes to the Cabinet.
However, it is not known whether Andrea Leadsom, the Environment Secretary, and Liz Truss, the Justice Secretary, will stay in post.
There were suggestions yesterday that several former ministers could make a comeback, including Michael Gove, the former justice secretary, and Iain Duncan Smith, the former work and pensions secretary.
Other roles that will need filling after ministers lost their seat includes posts in the Treasury, the Department for Local Government and the Department for Culture.