First cabinet reshuffle undertaken by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson carried out the first significant
reshuffle of his
majority government on 13 February 2020. Following the
December 2019 general election , there was considerable speculation that Johnson was planning a major reshuffle of the
Cabinet , to take place after the United Kingdom's official
withdrawal from the
European Union on 31 January 2020. There were reports that up to a third of the Cabinet would be dismissed, Whitehall departments abolished and civil servants replaced by policy experts; however, the reshuffle was smaller than expected and no departments were abolished.
[1] The anticipated reshuffle was nicknamed "The St Valentine's Day Massacre" in the press, due to its proximity to
St Valentine's Day , the name being a reference to the
1929 gangland shooting in
Chicago .
[2]
[3]
Johnson formed his
first ministry on 24 July 2019, following his
election as
Leader of the Conservative Party and subsequent appointment as
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom .
[4] In September 2019, he carried out small reshuffles in response to the
resignations of two Cabinet ministers (
Jo Johnson and
Amber Rudd ).
[5]
[6] After the Conservative Party's victory in the 2019 general election, Johnson's only change had been to fill the position left vacant by
Alun Cairns ' resignation in the previous month.
[7]
On 13 February 2020, Johnson reshuffled the government. Five Cabinet ministers were sacked, including the
Northern Ireland Secretary
Julian Smith , a decision that was criticised by several politicians and commentators following Smith's success in restoring the devolved
Northern Ireland Executive under the terms of the
New Decade, New Approach agreement.
[8]
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Sajid Javid resigned from the Cabinet after refusing Johnson's demand that he dismiss his advisers.
[9]
This was the last major cabinet reshuffle before the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, and was followed by two more reshuffles in
2021 and
2022 .
Cabinet-level changes
Colour key
Joined the Cabinet Left the Cabinet
Minister
Position before reshuffle
Result of reshuffle
Rt Hon
The Baroness Morgan of Cotes PC
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Left the government (intention to stand down announced in January 2020)
Rt Hon
Oliver Dowden CBE MP
Minister for the Cabinet Office
Paymaster General
Became
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Rt Hon
Michael Gove MP
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Given additional role as
Minister for the Cabinet Office
Rt Hon
Julian Smith CBE MP
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Left the government
Rt Hon
Brandon Lewis CBE MP
Minister of State for Security and Deputy for EU Exit and No Deal Preparation
Became
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Rt Hon
Esther McVey MP
Minister of State for Housing and Planning
Left the government
Rt Hon
Andrea Leadsom MP
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Left the government
Rt Hon
Alok Sharma MP
Secretary of State for International Development
Became
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP
Minister of State for the Armed Forces
Became
Secretary of State for International Development
Rt Hon
Geoffrey Cox QC MP
Attorney General for England and Wales
Advocate General for Northern Ireland
Left the government
Suella Braverman MP
Backbench MP
Became
Attorney General for England and Wales and
Advocate General for Northern Ireland
Rt Hon
Theresa Villiers MP
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Left the government
George Eustice MP
Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Became
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rt Hon
Sajid Javid MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Resigned after refusing to dismiss his advisers
Rt Hon
Rishi Sunak MP
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Became
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Rt Hon
Steve Barclay MP
Backbench MP, previously
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union until January 31 2020
Became
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Rt Hon
James Cleverly TD VR MP
Minister without Portfolio (
Chairman of the Conservative Party )
[note 1]
Left the Cabinet; became
Minister of State for the Middle East & North Africa
and International Development
Amanda Milling MP
Deputy Chief Government Whip
Treasurer of the Household
Became
Minister without Portfolio (and
Chairman of the Conservative Party )
[note 1]
Rt Hon
Jake Berry MP
Minister of State for the Northern Powerhouse
Resigned after refusing a new position at the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
[10]
Junior ministerial changes
Minister
Position before reshuffle
Result of reshuffle
Rt Hon
Chris Skidmore FRHistS FSA FRSA MP
Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation
Left the government
Michelle Donelan MP
Backbencher
Became
Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation
George Freeman MP
Minister of State for Transport
Left the government
Andrew Stephenson MP
Minister of State for Africa
and International Development
Became
Minister of State for Transport
Nigel Adams MP
Minister of State for Sport, Media & Creative Industries
Became
Minister of State for Africa
and International Development
Caroline Dinenage MP
Minister of State for Social Care
Became
Minister of State for Sport, Media & Creative Industries
Helen Whately MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Arts, Heritage and Tourism
Became
Minister of State for Social Care
Nigel Huddleston MP
Backbencher
Became
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Arts, Heritage and Tourism
Rt Hon
John Whittingdale OBE MP
Backbencher
Became
Minister of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Nus Ghani MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
Left the government
Kelly Tolhurst MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Became
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
Paul Scully MP
Backbencher
Became
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and
Minister for London
Chris Philp MP
Minister for London
Became
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Home Affairs
James Heappey MP
Backbencher
Became
Minister of State for the Armed Forces
Rt Hon Dr
Andrew Murrison MP
Minister of State for International Development
and the Middle East
Left the government
Rt Hon
Penny Mordaunt MP
Backbencher
Became
Paymaster General
Rt Hon
Christopher Pincher MP
Minister of State for Europe
and the Americas
Became
Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Rt Hon
James Brokenshire MP
Backbencher
Became
Minister of State for Security
Jeremy Quin MP
Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office
Became
Minister for Defence Procurement
Julia Lopez MP
Backbencher
Became
Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office
Chloe Smith MP
Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office
Became
Minister of State for the Cabinet Office
Robin Walker MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Became
Minister of State for Northern Ireland
Heather Wheeler MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Left the government
Wendy Morton MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice
Became
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
and International Development as
Minister for European Neighbourhood and the Americas
James Duddridge MP
Backbencher
Became
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
and International Development
Alex Chalk MP
Backbencher
Became
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice
Victoria Prentis MP
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the
Leader of the House of Commons
Became
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Amanda Solloway MP
Backbencher
Became
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Science, Research and Innovation
Paul Maynard MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
Left the government
Rachel Maclean MP
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Became
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
Gillian Keegan MP
Parliamentary Private Secretary to the
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Became
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education
Simon Clarke MP
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
Became
Minister of State for the Northern Powerhouse
Kemi Badenoch MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families
Became
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade
Vicky Ford MP
Backbencher
Became
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families
Kit Malthouse MP
Minister of State for Crime, Policing and the Fire Service
Given additional position as
Minister of State for Justice
The Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Minister of State for the Environment
Given additional position as
Minister of State for Pacific
The Lord Agnew of Oulton
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
for the School System
Became
Minister of State for Efficiency and Transformation
[11]
The Lord True
Backbench Peer
Became
Minister of State for European Union Relations and Constitutional Policy
Whips' Office appointments
Reaction
Dismissal of Julian Smith
Smith (left) and
Johnson (right) visit Northern Ireland in July 2019
The decision to dismiss
Julian Smith as
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was criticised by a number of prominent political figures in
Northern Ireland , including SDLP leader
Colum Eastwood who described the move as showing "dangerous indifference" by the
Prime Minister .
[12] Smith had been widely seen as instrumental in securing a cross-party deal to restore the
Northern Ireland Executive , the
New Decade, New Approach agreement, after three years without a devolved government in
Stormont .
[13]
[8] Tributes to Smith's tenure as Northern Ireland Secretary were paid by
NI First Minister
Arlene Foster and
Taoiseach
Leo Varadkar . Both praised him for his role in ending the political deadlock in the country.
[14]
[15]
Many political commentators expressed their surprise at Smith's dismissal, given his perceived success during his time as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Some suggested that Smith's testimony to the
Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee in October 2019, in which he described a potential
no-deal Brexit as being "a very, very bad idea for Northern Ireland",
[16] had influenced the decision to remove him from his position.
[17]
Stephen Bush , political editor of the
New Statesman , speculated that the consequence of Johnson's removal of Smith would be the destabilisation of the new power-sharing agreement and increased difficulty in negotiating the details of the "
New Protocol ".
[18]
Resignation of Sajid Javid
Javid with
Gladstone, Chief Mouser to
HM Treasury
Tensions between
10 Downing Street and the Treasury had come to a head in August 2019, when the Prime Minister's Chief Special Adviser
Dominic Cummings dismissed one of
Chancellor
Sajid Javid 's aides, Sonia Khan, without Javid's permission and without informing him. It was alleged that, during her dismissal, Cummings "went outside No 10 and asked an armed officer to enter the building and escort Khan off the premises."
[19] In November 2019, following questions of a rift between the two men, Johnson gave his assurance that he would retain Javid as Chancellor after the
2019 general election .
[20]
However, in the weeks leading up to the reshuffle, a number of briefings in the press had suggested that a new economic ministry led by
Rishi Sunak might be established, to reduce the power and political influence of the
Treasury . Sunak was considered to be a Johnson loyalist, seen as the "rising star" minister who had ably represented the Prime Minister during the 2019 election debates.
[21]
[22] By February 2020, it was reported that Javid would remain in his role as Chancellor and that Sunak would stay on as
Chief Secretary to the Treasury , in order to "keep an eye" on Javid.
[23]
On 13 February 2020, the day of the reshuffle, Javid resigned as Chancellor of the Exchequer, following a meeting with the Prime Minister. During the meeting, Johnson had offered to allow Javid to keep his position on the condition that he dismiss all his advisers at the Treasury and replace them with ones selected by 10 Downing Street.
[9] Upon resigning, Javid told the
Press Association that "no self-respecting minister would accept those terms".
[24]
[25]
The Chancellor's resignation had been unexpected, given Johnson's commitment to keep him in the Cabinet and recent reports that a rival finance ministry would not be created. Robert Shrimsley, chief political commentator of the
Financial Times , warned that the Prime Minister's handling of his relationship with Javid could damage the government. He argued that "good government often depends on senior ministers – and the chancellor in particular – being able to fight bad ideas. Mr Johnson's cabinet has just seen the price of defiance".
[26]
See also
Notes
^
a
b Non-ministerial position
^ According to the ministerial
pay scale :
References
^ Shipman, Tim (15 December 2019).
"Now for the Boris Johnson revolution — PM to wield axe in radical cabinet reshuffle" . The Times .
^ Balls, Katy (13 January 2020).
"The strategy behind Boris Johnson's incoming government shake-up" . The Spectator . Archived from
the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020 .
^ Tominey, Camilla (5 February 2020).
"Will Boris Johnson's post-Brexit reshuffle be a Valentine's Day massacre?" . Daily Telegraph .
^
"Boris Johnson becomes UK's new prime minister" . BBC News . 24 July 2019.
^ Havergal, Chris (10 September 2019).
"Chris Skidmore returns as universities minister in UK government" . Times Higher Education .
^
"Therese Coffey replaces Amber Rudd in cabinet after dramatic resignation" . ITV News . 8 September 2019.
^
"Simon Hart appointed new Welsh secretary" . BBC News . 16 December 2019.
^
a
b Walker, Peter (13 February 2020).
"Smith, Leadsom and McVey out as Johnson reshuffles cabinet" . The Guardian .
^
a
b
"Cabinet reshuffle: Sajid Javid resigns as chancellor" . BBC News . 13 February 2020.
^ Schofield, Kevin (25 February 2020).
"Boris Johnson ally quits government after turning down Foreign Office job" . Politics Home . Retrieved 26 May 2022 .
^ Jointly with
HM Treasury
^
"Julian Smith sacked as NI Secretary by Boris Johnson" . BBC News . 13 February 2020.
^ Elliott, Francis; Swinford, Steven (13 February 2020).
"Boris Johnson fires Julian Smith, minister who secured Stormont deal" . The Times .
^ Edwards, Mark (13 February 2020).
"Julian Smith sacked from Northern Ireland post in Boris Johnson's Cabinet reshuffle" . Belfast Telegraph .
^
@LeoVaradkar (13 February 2020).
"In 8 months as Secretary of State, Julian you helped to restore powersharing in Stormont, secured an agreement with us to avoid a hard border, plus marriage equality. You are one of Britain's finest politicians of our time. Thank you" (
Tweet ) – via
Twitter .
^ Mairs, Nicholas (23 October 2019).
"Julian Smith breaks ranks with Boris Johnson to brand no-deal Brexit 'very bad' for Northern Ireland" . PoliticsHome .
^ Forrest, Adam (13 February 2020).
"Boris Johnson news – live: PM axes Tory minister who helped secure Stormont deal, as fresh questions raised over £15,000 Caribbean holiday" . The Independent .
Archived from the original on 13 February 2020.
^ Bush, Stephen (13 February 2020).
"Boris Johnson has already made the most important sacking of today's reshuffle" . New Statesman .
^ Helm, Toby; Townsend,Mark (1 September 2019).
"PM 'must launch urgent inquiry into Dominic Cummings's reign of terror' " . The Guardian .
^ Parker, George; Payne, Sebastian (18 November 2019).
"Boris Johnson vows to retain Sajid Javid as chancellor" . Financial Times .
^ Parker, George (25 December 2019).
"Johnson's 'favourite minister' tipped to run super-ministry" . Financial Times .
^ Balls, Katy (13 February 2020).
"Is Sajid Javid at war with No. 10?" . The Spectator . Archived from
the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020 .
^ Mason, Rowena (5 February 2020).
"Ministers jostle as Johnson plans long-awaited reshuffle" . The Guardian .
^ Mason, Rowena (13 February 2020).
"Sajid Javid resigns as chancellor amid Johnson reshuffle" . The Guardian .
^
"Sajid Javid quits as British Chancellor" . RTÉ . 13 February 2020.
^ Shrimsley, Robert (13 February 2020).
"Johnson has backed Cummings over his chancellor — and there will be a cost" . Financial Times .