Boris Johnson definitely ruffled some feathers this week when he decided to change up his cabinet.
The hires and fires surprised many as the prime minister introduced seat swaps for both senior and junior cabinet members.
While all of the Conservatives have so far remained tight-lipped about the reshuffle, Johnson’s first meeting with his new cabinet on Friday led to some rather telling photographs of the ministers coming to terms with their new roles.
1. Raab’s not OK
Above: Dominic Raab, demoted from foreign secretary to justice secretary, allegedly refused to step back from his role unless Johnson chucked in the official title of deputy prime minister too.
In the cabinet meeting here, he’s sat next to Liz Truss, former international trade secretary and favourite in the Tory party who replaced him as foreign secretary.
The two are said to be at loggerheads over the keys to Chevening House, the lavish grace and favour Kent property where top government officials entertain. Both allegedly believe they are entitled to the estate as they believe they are the second-in-command.
2. Jack, Dorries and Braverman aren’t sure what to think
Alister Jack, secretary of state for Scotland (L) and attorney general Suella Braverman (R) managed to dodge much of the drama surrounding the reshuffle this week.
Nadine Dorries, however, received a huge promotion as she was bumped up from mental health minister to culture secretary.
She has brought rather a lot of baggage with her though, as her Twitter history has revealed her controversial views on everything from gay marriage to racism, “left-wing snowflakes” to high heels in the office.
Dorries herself has not addressed the scepticism surrounding her suitability for the role but defence secretary Ben Wallace said she was an appropriate hire for the culture secretary because she is a best-selling author.
3. Kwarteng is just keeping up with the drama
Kwasi Kwarteng retained his position as business secretary in the reshuffle, as did Priti Patel, the home secretary, sitting next to him. Patel was expected to get the boot after her clashes with the police force and the controversy over her reaction to the migrant crisis in recent years, but she managed to keep hold of her job.
Yet, in this picture Kwarteng is clearly looking past Patel. He could be looking at Michael Gove, formerly the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who was recently promoted to be the housing secretary. His promotion followed widespread backlash towards Gove when he was found to have made racist and homophobic comments in an old speech.
Alternatively, he could also be looking at Raab and his neighbour Truss, who were the headline acts in the reshuffle – it remains to be seen how their alleged row will play out.
