Rumors had been around for weeks, then suddenly on Wednesday things suddenly happened.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson dismissed, transferred and appointed ministers within a few hours.

The scope of the second cabinet restructuring since the 2019 elections was larger than expected, but there were no overwhelming surprises.

Only the previous Foreign Minister Dominic Raab had to say goodbye to a key department.

He was demoted to Minister of Justice, but can now officially call himself Deputy Prime Minister.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak remains in office, as does Interior Minister Priti Patel - the latter astonished some. 

Jochen Buchsteiner

Political correspondent in London.

  • Follow I follow

The previous Minister for International Trade Relations, Liz Truss, was the winner of the day. She had long been under discussion as a possible Raab successor because she had achieved success in her department in a quiet and efficient manner. Truss is now moving to a house that has had almost 20,000 employees since it was merged with the Development Aid Ministry. Leading this was not considered Raab's strength. In addition, his role had been held up against him during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. He had only returned from summer vacation after the fall of Kabul and had then repeatedly blamed the Ministry of Defense for mistakes. As a trained lawyer, he is considered a suitable candidate for the justice department. But Robert Buckland had to give way,who enjoyed an excellent reputation and whose expulsion met with displeasure in large parts of the party.  

The transfer of Michael Gove from the cabinet office to the housing department was also registered with interest. For Gove, who is considered one of the most capable (and ambitious) ministers, the move is tantamount to relegation. On the other hand, the vigorous Gove's appeal could indicate that Johnson wants to give housing construction a new priority as part of his “leveling-up” program to approximate living conditions in the country. 

The government will be left by the previous education minister, Gavin Williamson, who has long been considered overwhelmed. He is succeeded by Nadhim Zahawi, who has so far led the government's vaccination campaign. The previous co-chair of the Conservative Party, Amanda Milling, also had to vacate her post. She is replaced by the previous Minister of Culture, Oliver Dowden, who in turn is succeeded by Nadine Dorries, who is considered a passionate conservative campaigner in the so-called Kulturkampf. Johnson can now at least counter the accusation that the government is opposing the left, identity-political movement and pursuing a conservative restoration: the new cabinet is even more feminine than before and also ethnically more diverse.