London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

Boris Johnson rejects revolution in favour of modest cabinet reshuffle

Boris Johnson rejects revolution in favour of modest cabinet reshuffle

Move is the latest sign that PM could take a more cautious approach to government
Boris Johnson has set aside plans for a radical overhaul of Whitehall machinery in favour of a modest shakeup of his top team on Thursday, in the latest indication that his approach to government may be less revolutionary than that of his key adviser, Dominic Cummings.

After giving the go-ahead to the controversial HS2 rail project, which Cummings was known to be sceptical about, Johnson appears to have rejected – or postponed – proposals to merge or abolish government departments. Instead, several cabinet ministers who are deemed by Downing Street to have performed poorly in recent months are likely to be shown the door.

Those whose jobs are widely believed at Westminster to be under threat include the business secretary, Andrea Leadsom, the environment secretary, Theresa Villiers, and the attorney general, Geoffrey Cox.

But Sajid Javid, who has clashed with Cummings, appears safe, with Rishi Sunak also left in place as chief secretary of the Treasury.

There had been fears that the shakeup would tip the gender balance around the cabinet table in favour of men – but No 10 sources insist the total number of women attending cabinet will not decline. They also claim the prime minister will promote talented backbenchers to more junior posts, creating a pool of candidates with enough experience to enter the cabinet in future.

“The prime minister wants this reshuffle to set the foundations for government now and in the future,” a No 10 source said. “He wants to promote a generation of talent that will be promoted further in the coming years. He will reward those MPs who have worked hard to deliver on this government’s priorities to level up the whole country and deliver the change people voted for last year.”

The new intake of MPs, many of them women, are likely to be brought into the most junior government posts in the coming days to cement the impression that Johnson is committed to gender equality.

Cummings has written extensively in the past about the need to overhaul the machinery of government, and there had been speculation about drastic changes, including an economics and business super-ministry to mastermind Johnson’s “levelling up” plans.

These ideas appear to be off the table for the moment. Some senior Conservatives suggest Johnson may not have the appetite for the necessary upheaval. “He doesn’t like conflict at all,” said one government source.

But others said the spending review, expected in summer or autumn, would be a more natural point to reshape Whitehall. When Cummings was asked about the reshuffle on Tuesday, he said, “PJ Masks will do a greater job than all of them put together” – a reference to a children’s TV show.

Johnson will summon sacked ministers to his House of Commons office in the morning to deliver the bad news before returning to Downing Street to welcome the parade of those who are being promoted. Plum jobs due to be filled include culture secretary, a job which Nicky Morgan made clear she would only do for a few months when Johnson handed her a peerage after the general election.

Johnson is also expected to announce who will be the new HS2 minister – a new post created to ensure that Downing Street can exert a firm grip on the delivery of the mega-project – and who will oversee the COP26 climate conference.

Cox, who put his booming baritone to good use introducing Johnson at his leadership campaign launch, did little to dampen speculation that he would be removed from office on Wednesday. Asked at an Institute for Government event if he would be disappointed to leave his job, he said: “It has been an enormous privilege to do this job. But it is a decision for the prime minister.”

Cox has been tipped to chair the government’s review into the role of the judiciary, including the supreme court, and he suggested he would be willing to take on that role. He said the new constitutional commission would consider both the role of judicial review – which he described as the “judicialisation of politics” – and the appointment of judges to the supreme court.

The Department for International Development appears to have escaped immediate annexation by Dominic Raab’s Foreign Office, a move charities have warned strongly against. But with the prime minister’s foreign policy adviser, the academic John Bew, understood to be conducting a review into Britain’s post-Brexit role in the world, that change could yet come later this year.

The international development secretary, Alok Sharma, is expected to be promoted, while Brandon Lewis could be for the chop from his Home Office post. Party sources suggest Lewis’s decision in 2018 to investigate Boris Johnson’s comments on women in Islamic dress looking like “letterboxes” is a mark against him.

They claim he was only appointed to the senior Home Office role in July last year because he had previously served as Tory party chairman. To get rid of him at that point would have looked “too brutal” as one of the first acts of the new prime minister, the source said.

Johnson was cleared of any wrongdoing over his controversial Telegraph column and Tory MPs rallied around him, demanding an apology from Lewis for launching the investigation. The row has not been forgotten, the source suggested. Victoria Atkins is expected to take on the brief.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×