London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jul 13, 2025

Rees-Mogg becomes minister for Brexit opportunities in Boris Johnson reshuffle

Rees-Mogg becomes minister for Brexit opportunities in Boris Johnson reshuffle

Chris Heaton-Harris takes over as chief whip in shake-up as PM seeks to reassure mutinous Tories
Boris Johnson has made Jacob Rees-Mogg the new minister for “Brexit opportunities” and installed a key loyalist as his chief whip in a reshuffle intended to shore up his position after weeks of terrible headlines.

Rees-Mogg, who was Commons leader, is moved to the Cabinet Office to take on a newly created role as Brexit opportunities minister, a cabinet-level job that also includes “government efficiency”.

Chris Heaton-Harris, formerly Europe minister in the Foreign Office, takes over as chief whip from Mark Spencer. Heaton-Harris was a key member of a parallel parliamentary organisation advising the prime minister amid his recent woes.

Spencer, a trusted ally of Johnson, was widely criticised by Conservative MPs over a series of missteps, including whipping them to support the disgraced MP Owen Paterson. He has been made leader of the Commons in place of Rees-Mogg, overseeing the passage of government legislation.

Stuart Andrew, who was deputy chief whip, is moved to be minister for housing in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, taking over from Christopher Pincher, who is expected to become a whip. Andrew becomes the 11th housing minister in 12 years, a continual churn that housing groups have argued means the sector is not properly considered by government.

In other moves, two ministers have taken on additional Cabinet Office duties to help out Steve Barclay, the main minister in the department who was last week also appointed Johnson’s chief of staff – Michael Ellis, the paymaster general and a noted Johnson loyalist; and the whip Heather Wheeler.

In the Foreign Office, James Cleverly has taken over Heaton-Harris’s Europe brief. His existing role as minister for the Middle East, north Africa and North America will be redistributed among other ministers.

Labour criticised the new job for Spencer, saying it was “completely inappropriate” to have a Commons leader who was connected to an investigation of alleged racism, and whose whipping operation had been accused of seeking to blackmail MPs.

The Tory MP Nusrat Ghani alleged last month that, when she lost her job as a transport minister, she was told that “Muslimness” had been raised as a problem at a meeting in Downing Street. Spencer voluntarily identified himself as the person Ghani made the claims about, saying they were “completely false” and defamatory.

Also last month, the former Tory MP Christian Wakeford alleged that party whips told him he would lose funding for a new high school in his constituency if he did not vote with the government, while the senior Conservative backbencher William Wragg urged MPs to report ministers, whips and advisers to the Speaker or police for what he claimed was attempted blackmail of those suspected of opposing Johnson.

Thangam Debbonaire, the shadow Commons leader, said: “This is just the latest in a long line of appointments that demonstrates this government’s complete disregard for standards in politics.”

Heaton-Harris, the new chief whip, was accused of “McCarthyite” behaviour when he was universities minister by writing to vice-chancellors to demand a list of tutors lecturing on Brexit.

The changes come amid a wider shake-up of the team around Johnson, as the prime minister seeks to reassure mutinous Tory MPs, worried about alleged lockdown-breaking parties that are being investigated by police.

Last Thursday, four senior No 10 aides quit or were pushed out: Johnson’s longstanding policy chief, Munira Mirza; Dan Rosenfield, his chief of staff; Martin Reynolds, his principal private secretary; and his director of communications, Jack Doyle.

While Mirza’s departure was a surprise – her resignation letter condemned Johnson for falsely linking Keir Starmer to the failure to bring the paedophile Jimmy Savile to justice – the other three had been tipped to leave amid the fallout from the party claims.

Barclay will lead efforts to integrate his department with a new Office of the Prime Minister and liaise with backbenchers over areas such as future policy. In place of Doyle, Johnson appointed Guto Harri as director of communications, who held the same role for Johnson when he was mayor of London.

Mirza was swiftly replaced by Andrew Griffith, a former investment banker and Sky executive who entered parliament in 2019.

The internal reshuffle has faced some criticism. Some Tory MPs from northern “red wall” areas were critical of Griffith, who represents a safe seat in West Sussex, being handed a role shaping new government ideas.

Barclay’s role as an MP, minister and chief of staff raised eyebrows as to the potential workload, while Harri has been immediately embroiled in controversy.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
×