Boris Johnson clears out top levels of government in radical reshaping
Boris Johnson wasted no time clearing out 17 senior ministers in “summer’s day massacre”.
Boris Johnson has cleared out the top levels of British government with the removal of at least 17 senior ministers as he radically reshapes a pro-Brexit Cabinet amid warnings to “gloomsters’’ that the time had come to act and leave the European Union.
In a dramatic series of moves this morning Mr Johnson culled his Cabinet of any Remainers, supporters of his rival Jeremy Hunt and anyone who is not behind his Brexit vision The clear-out came immediately after he repeated in his first speech as Prime Minister his mantra that the country was leaving the European Union on October 31.
The move — which have claimed more than half of the previous Cabinet — has very forcefully revealed Mr Johnson’s hand: that he intends to take a very aggressive approach to Brexit, and somehow circumvent the problematic divisions of the Tory party in driving through the country’s departure from the European Union.
Critics have already claimed Mr Johnson’s axe wielding — the scale of which was likened by former MP David Mellor to a Pol Pot purge — will create more enemies, and his tenure at 10 Downing Street will be short-lived.
Nigel Evans, a member of Conservatives ruling 1922 Committee, claimed it was “not so much a reshuffle as a summer’s day massacre”.
But his supporters say such boldness shows Europe he is not messing about and that he is embarking on an all or nothing Brexit strategy.
MORE: Boris gets royal seal of approval | Greek tragedy might reveal achilles heel | Negotiating skills put to the test
Arch Brexiteers have been given the plum posts, including former home secretary Sajid Javid who has been appointed Chancellor and a former foreign legal Adviser Dominic Raab who has been given the crucial foreign secretary post.
Mr Raab said: “We must get finality to the Brexit precess and we can then unite behind the aspirations the Prime Minister has set out’’.
Mr Javid voted remain in the 2016 referendum but has since changed his views and converted to being a strong Brexit supporter. Stephen Barclay has kept his job as Brexit secretary.
The right wing Priti Patel, who had to resign from the Theresa May cabinet for having unofficial meetings with Israeli officials, has been brought back into the fold and confirmed as the Home Secretary.
Michael Gove, a Brexiteer and twice leadership rival, was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, which puts him in charge of no-deal preparations ahead of October 31.
It appears to be the reverse of Theresa May's approach to Brexit
— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) July 24, 2019
Under May, Dexeu was charged with leading no-deal preparations while the Cabinet Office and Olly Robbins and his led negotiations
Now Gove and some of Whitehall's finest minds will be solely focused on no deal
Some top level Tory Remainers pre-empted the mood and left before Mr Johnson visited the Queen.
They included the Minister for Europe, Alan Duncan, Education Secretary Anne Milton, International development secretary Rory Stewart, the Chancellor Philip Hammond, Justice secretary David Gauke and Cabinet secretary David Lidington.
But Mr Johnson went much further than expected, either sacking or encouraging the resignation of anyone who had previously supported the Withdrawal Agreement pushed by the European Union and former prime minister Theresa May.
In a message clearly marked for a Brussels audience as well as for the nation, Mr Johnson said: “We will come out of the EU on October 31st — because in the end Brexit was a fundamental decision by the British people that they wanted their laws made by people that they can elect and they can remove from office’’.
He said there was a “remote possibility’’ that Brussels will refuse to negotiate further, but reminded the country that if there was a no-deal outcome “we will have the extra lubrication of the £39 billion’’.
Mr Johnson has also seen off underperforming supporters, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, who was in charge of fiasco train timetables and who incredibly wasted £33bn of taxpayers money on a non-existent ferry contract to deal with Brexit emergencies and the housing minister James Brokenshire.
Mr Hunt, who was the Foreign Secretary, also stood down, saying he had rejected an offer from Mr Johnson of another portfolio — believed to be Defence — but promised his new leader he would have his full support from the backbenchers.
Mr Hunt tweeted: “I’ve been a cabinet minister for every hour my three gorgeous children have been alive. So whilst it may seem strange for someone who just tried to become PM (& is a terrible cliche) I have decided now is the time for the biggest challenge of all — to be a good dad.’’
Mr Johnson said: “The doubters, the doomsters, the gloomsters’’ are going to get it wrong again.
He said: ‘’the people who bet against Britain are going to lose their shirts because we are going to restore trust in our democracy’’.
ends
Trump warns judges: ‘hands off my agenda’
Donald Trump used a press conference with Elon Musk to hit back at the courts for blocking his efforts to reduce government waste and prosecute his agenda, warning he may ‘look at the judges’ responsible for stymieing his plans.
Hamas in a corner after Bibi calls bluff
The clock is now ticking for Hamas over the Gaza ceasefire deal, and as Donald Trump put it, ‘they want to play tough guy, we’ll see how tough they are’.