Prime Minister Theresa May has sacked defence secretary Gavin Williamson following an investigation into an information leak from a National Security Council meeting.
The move comes after weeks of Tories jostling to place themselves first in a potential leadership contest, if the weak PM is toppled.
A Downing Street spokesman said: "The Prime Minister has this evening asked Gavin Williamson to leave the government, having lost confidence in his ability to serve in the role of defence secretary and as a member of her Cabinet."
"The Prime Minister's decision has been informed by his conduct surrounding an investigation into the circumstances of the unauthorised disclosure of information from a meeting of the National Security Council."
The investigation was headed by Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill after information shared in private meetings about tech giant Huawei's involvement in the development of 5G networks across the UK was published in the Telegraph .
In a letter to the Defence Secretary, the PM wrote: "This is an extremely serious matter, and a deeply disappointing one."
She added that: "No other, credible version of events to explain this leak has been identified."
Williamson has been Defence Secretary since 2017, it was his first cabinet role. He maintains that he was not responsible for the leaked information from the National Security Council.
Following Williamson's sacking, Penny Mordaunt has been appointed to the position, making her the UK's first female Defence Secretary. She will still continue with her duties as minister for women and equalities. Mrs. Mordaunt previously acted Minister of State for the Armed forces in 2015.
In light of the investigation, leader for the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable has called for Mr Williamson to be prosecuted by the police for breaching the Official Secrets Act.
