British Prime Minister Boris Johnson began an extensive cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday. The new British Foreign Secretary is the previous Secretary of State for International Trade Relations, Liz Truss. The previous Foreign Minister Dominic Raab was moved to the head of the Justice Department, but remains “Lord Chancellor” and thus de facto Deputy Prime Minister. The former Minister of Education Gavin Williamson will leave the government. Attorney General Robert Buckland and Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick also lost their posts. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and the controversial Interior Minister Priti Patel were allowed to keep their posts. The cabinet reshuffle had been expected for weeks and should be completed before the beginning of the Conservative Party conference early next month.
Jochen Buchsteiner
Political correspondent in London.
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The replacements of Raab, Williamson and Jenrick did not come as a surprise.
They have surfaced in speculation about the cabinet reshuffle for weeks.
Above all, Raab was held responsible for his role during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
He returned from summer vacation late and then blamed the Ministry of Defense for mistakes on several occasions.
As a trained lawyer, he is considered a suitable candidate for the justice department.
Williamson had long been considered overwhelmed in his office and had made countless mistakes.
Jenrick, in turn, struggled with several minor affairs.
The previous deputy chairwoman of the Conservative Party, Amanda Milling, also had to vacate her post.
The conservative Liz Truss had long been trusted with a promotion. She had successfully negotiated several trade deals with other countries and regions. She is considered a quiet, efficient minister and, according to surveys, is very popular among the grassroots of the Conservative Party. 10 Downing Street spoke on Wednesday of a "new team of unity" that will help lead the country successfully out of the pandemic and make Britain stronger than it was before.