BORIS Johnson has wielded the axe in a brutal Cabinet reshuffle that today saw Gavin Williamson chopped and Dominic Raab demoted.
Mr Williamson was widely expected to be removed as Education Secretary following a pandemic beset by endless fiascoes with schools and PR disasters.
Embattled Mr Raab accepted a demotion from Foreign to Justice Secretary following a long 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.
Robert Buckland was sacked as Justice Secretary and Robert Jenrick removed as Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick in surprise firings.
The PM is overhauling his top team in a long-awaited shake-up ahead of the Conservative Party conference in a few weeks.
Ambitious MPs desperate to climb the ladder were standing by their phones as the Westminster rumour mill went into overdrive.
For weeks the PM has dangled the prospect of a reshuffle to whip rebellious MPs into line for a series of crunch votes.
Now – as he looks to get back on the front foot following a bruising few months – the reshuffle is finally on.
Read our Boris Johnson live blog below for the latest updates…
