Boris Johnson holds first meeting of new cabinet after reshuffle
The gathering of ministers comes after the PM completed a shake-up of his cabinet that saw a number of high-profile casualties.
Friday 17 September 2021 14:20, UK
Boris Johnson has gathered his cabinet for the first meeting of his top team since the prime minister's reshuffle - which involved some high-profile casualties.
Mr Johnson told his new recruits, in what he described as a "half-time pep talk", they will need to work even harder "to improve the lives of the public".
He said they had a lot to do, including recruiting 20,000 more police officers, cutting crime, building 48 new hospitals, rolling out gigabit broadband, improving skills, getting to net-zero and "levelling up" opportunities for everyone across the UK.
A Number 10 spokesman said ministers agreed the sharing of data would be vital to driving forward the work needed to deliver on promises on health and social care, crime, education and skills, climate change and levelling up.
Mr Johnson also spoke about the AUKUS defence initiative agreed between the US, UK and Australia, which was announced on Wednesday evening, saying it will "strengthen our shared security and defence interests".
And he referenced his many children - thought to be six - and Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg, who has six children, as he said the cabinet needed to deliver for the nation.
"I'm just thinking about delivery... I've seen a few delivery rooms, probably seen as many delivery rooms as anybody in this... with the possible exception of Jacob," said Mr Johnson to a room of giggles. His wife Carrie is pregnant with their second child.
"I know that delivery normally involves a superhuman effort by at least one person in the room.
"But there are plenty of other people in that room who are absolutely indispensable to that successful outcome."
Pictured sitting next to each other were new Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Dominic Raab, whose role she stepped into after he was shifted to justice secretary in the biggest move of the reshuffle.
This has widely been viewed as a demotion in the wake of criticism over his handling of the Afghanistan crisis.
But Mr Raab was also named deputy prime minister, a move interpreted as an attempt by the PM to placate the former foreign secretary.
Downing Street has insisted that Mr Raab will continue playing an "important senior role" and his move had been "planned".
Gavin Williamson was sacked as education secretary after a difficult 18 months amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on education.
He has been replaced by former vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi.
Other casualties included Robert Buckland, removed as justice secretary, and Robert Jenrick, who is no longer housing secretary.
Michael Gove now occupies the latter role, while Oliver Dowden lost his job as culture secretary and was replaced by Nadine Dorries.
He is now Conservative Party co-chair after the previous incumbent Amanda Milling was ousted just weeks before the party's annual conference.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan has returned to cabinet as international trade secretary, taking on the post formerly held by Ms Truss.
On Thursday Mr Johnson reshuffled the junior and middle-ranking government ministers, with a raft of appointments made.
Nick Gibb has been removed as schools minister after more than a decade holding the brief as both minister and shadow minister, being replaced by Robin Walker.
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Penny Mordaunt, meanwhile, has been appointed minister of state at the Department for International Trade, while John Whittingdale is no longer a media minister.
Elsewhere, Greg Hands has moved from international trade minister to become a business minister and Kemi Badenoch is now both a housing minister and Foreign Office minister.
In a tweet after carrying out his cabinet reshuffle, the PM said his top team will "work tirelessly to unite and level up the whole country".
He added: "We will build back better from the pandemic and deliver on your priorities. Now let's get on with the job."