Johnson wields axe as Hunt and detractors forced out

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Boris Johnson swiftly began wielding the axe as Prime Minister by sacking detractors and squeezing out leadership rival Jeremy Hunt.

The freshly-anointed PM started a major overhaul of Theresa May’s government, with more than half of her Cabinet either quitting or being sacked.

Johnson’s new-look Cabinet included Sajid Javid as Chancellor and Priti Patel as Home Secretary.

Dominc Raab was appointed Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State – effectively making him Mr Johnson’s deputy prime minister.

Hunt was forced from his role as foreign secretary and his supporters were rounded on by the new Tory leader.

Johnson sacked Liam Fox as international trade secretary and Penny Mordaunt as defence secretary, PA understands.

Both had backed Mr Hunt, while Dr Fox had gone a step further in criticising Mr Johnson’s Brexit plan.

Scottish secretary David Mundell, who previously said he would find it “extremely difficult” to serve Mr Johnson, tweeted that he was “disappointed but not surprised” to be departing.

Also leaving the frontbenches after Mr Johnson was formally appointed as PM by the Queen were Hunt-backer Damian Hinds, who was education secretary, and business secretary Greg Clark.

Clark had recently warned that “many thousands” of jobs would be lost in a no-deal Brexit, which Mr Johnson has declined to rule out.

The new Cabinet sees Michael Gove, Johnson’s Vote Leave colleague who scuppered his last leadership bid, moved from environment secretary to Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Ben Wallace was promoted from security minister to Defence Secretary, Liz Truss moved to International Trade Secretary from chief secretary to the Treasury and Stephen Barclay kept his role at the head of the Department for Exiting the EU.

With the appointment of Raab, Patel and Javid, it means three of the four great offices of state are now held by children of immigrants.

Javid and Raab were both contenders in the Tory leadership race, but both were knocked out during voting by Tory MPs.

Raab quit as Mrs May’s Brexit secretary in November over her departure deal, while Javid’s new role is a promotion from home secretary.

Patel’s promotion saw her elevated again from the backbenches, having been forced by Mrs May to resign as international development secretary over unauthorised contacts with Israeli officials.

Northern Ireland secretary Karen Bradley is also understood to have been sacked after Mr Johnson entered No 10.

Foreshadowing his arrival, prominent no-deal critics chancellor Philip Hammond, international development secretary Rory Stewart and justice secretary David Gauke all quit.

So did David Lidington, who was effectively Theresa May’s deputy prime minister.

Hunt said he would have been “honoured” to continue at the Foreign Office but decided to return to the backbenches despite Mr Johnson having “kindly offered” him a different role.

He was forced out despite saying he would happily welcome his opponent to his Cabinet during the leadership race.

Mordaunt’s sacking so shortly after the Brexiteer became the first woman to head the Ministry of Defence came as a shock for many.

Also among the departees were secretary of state for housing, communities and local government James Brokenshire, culture secretary Jeremy Wright, Leader of the house Mel Stride and immigration minister Caroline Nokes.

Much-criticised transport secretary Chris Grayling was understood to have resigned.

Also from the Vote Leave campaign was its mastermind Dominic Cummings, who will take up an advisory role.

The appointment of the abrasive former campaign director is controversial given he was found to be in contempt of Parliament earlier this year for refusing to give evidence to MPs investigating misinformation.

Press Association