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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Lucy Campbell and Andrew Sparrow

Truss replaces Raab in reshuffle as Zahawi gets education role following Williamson’s exit – as it happened

Liz Truss
The newly-appointed foreign secretary, Liz Truss, leaves Number 10 Downing Street. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Late summary

  • It’s been a dramatic day in Westminster with Boris Johnson laying the groundwork for the next general election with a ruthless cabinet reshuffle, designed to clear out failing ministers and hand Michael Gove the key job of making “levelling up” a reality for sceptical voters. The Guardian’s political editor Heather Stewart reports.
  • Johnson sacked three cabinet ministers - the blunderous, and at times disastrous, education secretary Gavin Williamson, the justice secretary Robert Buckland, and the housing secretary Robert Jenrick. Rather than being offered an alternative role, Williamson was relegated straight back to the backbenches.
  • Liz Truss, popular with the Tory grassroots, was promoted to foreign secretary - the first female Conservative to hold the role - while Dominic Raab was shifted to the justice brief, widely seen as punishment for his role in the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan last month, and wrestled the title of deputy PM.
  • Michael Gove was promoted to secretary of state for housing, communities and local government with responsibility for enacting Johnson’s “levelling-up” agenda across government. He will also be responsible for diffusing the row over planning reforms in Tory heartlands, protecting the union and fighting elections.
  • The chancellor Rishi Sunak, the home secretary Priti Patel, the leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg, all remain in post.
  • Also staying are Ben Wallace in defence, Saijd Javid in health, Kwasi Kwarteng in business, George Eustice at Defra, Grant Shapps in transport, Thérèse Coffey at DWP, Brandon Lewis in Northern Ireland, Alister Jack in Scotland, and Simon Hart in Wales. Natalie Evans remains leader of the Lords.
  • Nadine Dorries was a surprise appointment to the role of culture secretary, given her often robust “anti-woke” agenda and her affinity to the culture wars.
  • Nadhim Zahawi, considered a safe pair of hands, moved to the role of education secretary.
  • Lord Frost remains as the Cabinet Office minister responsible for Brexit, and Kit Malthouse stays on as policing minister though now attends Cabinet.
  • Greg Hands is now business minister, while Kemi Badenoch remains minister for equalities but also housing minister and foreign minister.
  • Oliver Dowden became party co-chair, replacing Amanda Milling.
  • Steve Barclay moves to role of Cabinet Office minister and chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, while Simon Clarke is now chief secretary of the Treasury.
  • Alok Sharma remains as COP26 president.

And here is Heather’s full explainer on who’s up and who’s down:

Here is a roundup of how some of tomorrow’s front pages are presenting the reshuffle:

The Sun: “Queen Liz in... Raab is out”

The Daily Express: “PM’s ruthless cull to deliver Britain’s future”

The Daily Mail: “At last, Boris wields the axe”

The Times: “Johnson wields axe in cabinet reshuffle”

The Daily Telegraph: “Raab and Gove lose out as Truss promoted”

The Daily Star: “Clowning Street massacre”

The Daily Mirror: “Boris has a Cabinet clear-out”

The Financial Times: “Johnson sweeps out his cabinet to revive faith in reform agenda”

And The Guardian: “PM’s ruthless reshuffle lays ground for next election”

Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg arriving at Downing Street earlier.
Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg arriving at Downing Street earlier. Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/PA

Updated

PM lays groundwork for general election with ruthless reshuffle

Boris Johnson has laid the groundwork for the next general election with a ruthless cabinet reshuffle designed to clear out failing ministers and hand Michael Gove the key job of making “levelling up” a reality for sceptical voters.

On a day of dramatic developments in Westminster, Johnson sacked three cabinet ministers including the gaffe-prone education secretary Gavin Williamson, and shifted Dominic Raab from the Foreign Office to the Ministry of Justice. Liz Truss, the media-savvy darling of Conservative grassroots members and champion of free markets, will replace Raab as foreign secretary.

The full story is here:

The PM has just tweeted this, concluding today’s cabinet reshuffle.

Updated

The new education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, says he’s honoured to be working at the Department for Education in his new role:

Children and young people have had a tough time during this pandemic and I’ll be listening to them and their families as we accelerate our work to build back better and fairer.

From my own experience, I know what a beacon of opportunity this country can be and I want all children, young people and adults to have access to a brilliant education, the right qualifications and opportunities to secure good jobs. That’s both vital for them and also our economy and is more important now than ever before.

I can’t wait to get started, working with the amazing teachers and staff in our nurseries, schools, colleges and universities as well as employers and businesses.

And Jacob Rees-Mogg is staying as Lord President of the Council and as Commons Leader.

Suella Braverman remains as attorney general.

Michelle Donelan remains education minister and will also attend Cabinet, No 10 says.

Simon Clarke has been appointed chief secretary to the Treasury, No 10 says. He will also attend cabinet.

Updated

Nigel Adams has been appointed minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office, No 10 says. He was previously a Foreign Office minister.

Updated

Kit Malthouse remains a minister in the Home Office and Ministry of Justice, Downing Street said. The ally of Boris Johnson will attend cabinet, No 10 added.

Updated

With the cabinet reshuffle having somewhat overshadowed the Commons vote urging the government to cancel the cut to the £20 universal credit uplift, Labour has highlighted that sacked Tory ministers - who voted for the cut - will be handed £17,000 each in severance payments when they return to the backbenches.

Ministers and other paid office holders who receive a ministerial salary are entitled to a severance payment when they leave office, which generally equals three months of their annual ministerial salary.

Labour’s motion to stop the planned £1,000 a year cut to universal credit passed as the government ordered its MPs to abstain. The cut will affect one in 14 British workers and see an estimated 700,000 people plunged into poverty, including 200,000 children.

Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said:

That the government is giving payoffs to those they do not deem competent enough to be in government while cutting the incomes of millions of people is an insult to hard-working people.

It is deeply regrettable that the Conservatives have chosen not to protect struggling families from the prime minister’s £1,000-a-year cut.

Labour is on the side of working families and will keep pushing for the government to see sense, listen to the house and cancel this cut.

Updated

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park is staying as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the Lords, No 10 says.

Updated

And George Eustice is staying as environment secretary, No 10 says.

There was some doubt as to whether he would stay because it was reported earlier this year that Carrie Symonds, a conservationist and animal lover, wanted him replaced because she thinks he is not doing enough on animal welfare.

That’s all from me for tonight.

My colleague Lucy Campbell is taking over now. Almost all the cabinet jobs have now been confirmed or announced, although we do not know what is happening to Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, and who will replace Stephen Barclay as chief secretary to the Treasury. There has been some talk of it being Rees-Mogg, which would mean someone joining the cabinet as leader of the house.

Updated

No 10 has confirmed that Lord Frost is staying as Brexit minister and Alister Jack is staying as Scottish secretary.

Simon Hart is staying as Welsh secretary, No 10 says.

Ed Vaizey, the former culture minister, has welcomed the appointment of Nadine Dorries as the new culture secretary. Given that he is reportedly angling for the Ofcom chairmanship, he may be keen to make a good impression.

And Brandon Lewis stays as Northern Ireland secretary, No 10 has announced.

Grant Shapps has been reappointed transport secretary, he says.

Emily Thornberry, the shadow international trade secretary, says Anne-Marie Trevelyan, her new government opposite number, used to be a climate change denier.

No 10 has confirmed that Alok Sharma, Cop26 president, Kwasi Kwarteng, business secretary, Thérèse Coffey, work and pensions secretary, and Sajid Javid, health secretary, are all remaining in post.

Updated

Grant Shapps arriving at No 10 this afternoon.
Grant Shapps arriving at No 10 this afternoon.
 Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Buckland says in resignation letter legal system has suffered 'years of underfunding'

Robert Buckland has published his resignation letter on Twitter. If he is bitter about his sacking, he does not really show it and the letter is mostly a summary of what he has done that he is proud of.

But he does say that the legal system needs more investment and that “years of underfunding beforehand have not helped”.

He also says that, as a backbencher, he intends to campaign on behalf of the neurodiverse. He has an autistic daughter and he says:

Support for those who are neurodiverse has always been a cause close to my heart and I have long advocated the need for the criminal justice [system] to better address those who are neurodiverse. This is a cause to pursue with vigour from the backbenches, as I indicated to you in our meeting.

Updated

Anne-Marie Trevelyan becomes international trade secretary

Anne-Marie Trevelyan has been appointed international trade secretary, No 10 has announced.

She used to sit in cabinet as international development secretary until Boris Johnson merged the department with the Foreign Office last year. When her job disappeared she became a business minister, at minister of state level, and so this is a clear promotion.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan arriving at No 10.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan arriving at No 10. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Updated

MPs pass non-binding Labour motion saying government should abandon £20 per week universal credit cut

Conservative MPs warned Boris Johnson against “hastily” reducing universal credit (UC) for millions of families, as the House of Commons backed a motion to cancel the cut, PA Media reports. PA says:

Former work and pensions secretary Stephen Crabb insisted the Conservatives should be “standing on the side” of supermarket workers, cleaners and carers and said it was unclear why the Government wanted to remove the £20 per week uplift to UC.

He told MPs the “sudden, abrupt withdrawal” of the £20 uplift “is not the right way of doing welfare policy”.

Conservative MP John Stevenson argued retaining the benefit boost would “improve many people’s lives” and aid the Government’s levelling up agenda.

Another Tory, Peter Aldous, advised that keeping UC at its pandemic rate will help “prevent many people from falling into poverty and despair”, adding: “It would also provide the platform from which families can plan for better futures and can then realise their aspirations. As a society, and as an economy, we will all be better for that.”

Ministers have come under sustained pressure to reverse their decision to end the £20 uplift introduced to support families during the coronavirus pandemic.

The extra payments will be phased out from the end of September, with the government arguing it would cost £6bn to retain them.

Labour tabled a motion asking the government to cancel the planned cut, amid concerns it will reduce support for families by up to 1,040 per year.

MPs supported it by 253 votes to zero, majority 253.

But the motion is non-binding and does not force the government to act.

Labour former minister Dame Angela Eagle, raising a point of order, said it was a “disgrace” the Government had abstained on the vote and claimed they “haven’t got the guts” to properly deal with such matters in the division lobbies.

The Commons division list shows that four Conservative MPs voted for the Labour motion. They were: Peter Aldous, Neil Hudson, John Stevenson and William Wragg.

Stephen Barclay is the new Cabinet Office minister and chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster. He is replacing Michael Gove, who is now housing secretary. Barclay was chief secretary to the Treasury.

Here is reaction to Nadhim Zahawi’s appointment as education secretary from three education specialists.

From Mark Leach, founder of Wonkhe, a higher education policy website

From Sam Freedman, a former Department for Education official who is now an education writer and adviser to Ark Schools

From Laura McInerney, co-founder of the Teacher Tapp app

Ben Wallace is staying as defence secretary, No 10 says.

Nadhim Zahawi promoted to education secretary

Nadhim Zahawi has been promoted to education secretary. He was vaccine deployment minister until today, and he has previously served in DfE as minister for children and families when Theresa May was PM.

Updated

The BBC’s director of news has defended the corporation’s impartiality and criticised the abuse directed at a former UK Huffpost editor and experienced broadcast journalist who has just been appointed to a senior editorial post.

The corporation announced the appointment of Jess Brammar, who will run the corporation’s rolling news channels, despite the attempts of a board member with ties to Downing Street to block the move on political grounds.

The journalist, who had also worked as acting editor of Newsnight, had also faced months of attacks in Conservative media outlets after she emerged as the leading candidate for the role.

Her appointment as executive editor, BBC news channels, comes despite a highly-unusual intervention by Sir Robbie Gibb, a former director of communications to Theresa May who was appointed to the BBC Board by the government earlier this year. In a leaked text message obtained by the Financial Times, Gibb said in June the BBC “cannot make this appointment” if they want to retain the support of the government.

In an email to BBC staff on Wednesday, Fran Unsworth, the BBC’s director of news and current affairs, wrote that the appointment had been made “through fair and open competition” and added that she wanted to address some points. She went on:

In view of recent public speculation about BBC News appointments.

BBC News has to be impartial and independent. BBC journalists are hired from a variety of different backgrounds, but while working at the BBC, they leave any personal opinions at the door.

Any individual should be judged on how they do their job at the BBC, not on what they have done in different organisations with very different objectives.

It is extremely disappointing that anyone should receive public and personal criticism - or online abuse - simply for applying for a job at the BBC.

Nadine Dorries was a prolific user of Twitter before she became a minister, and her back catalogue will make interesting reading now that she is culture secretary.

Here is a tweet from December 2017, suggesting that the “war on woke” launched by Oliver Dowden when he was secretary is likely to continue.

And she posted this about the BBC in March 2018. Again, this suggests continuity with the Dowden regime. See 10.30am.

Nadine Dorries appointed new culture secretary

No 10 has confirmed that Nadine Dorries is the new culture secretary. (See 4.36pm.)

Nadine Dorries responding to questions from journalists as she arrived in Downing Street earlier.
Nadine Dorries responding to questions from journalists as she arrived in Downing Street earlier. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Updated

And No 10 has confirmed that Oliver Dowden will be minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office. That is the government title that Amanda Milling had alongside her party title as co-chair. Dowden is reportedly becoming Tory co-chair too.

No 10 has confirmed that Mark Spencer is staying as chief whip.

The FT’s Jim Pickard has posted a tweet implying you could see this as a ratings-related reshuffle, or one that seemed to give party members the final say.

(But the thesis does not quite work because he has not included Robert Buckland.)

Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, is going to replace Amanda Milling as Conservative party chair, or co-chair, the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg reports. Milling was doing the job alongside Ben Elliott, who is not an MP.

The key point in the reaction to the appointment of Dominic Raab to the justice brief from Derek Sweeting QC, chair of the Bar Council, lies in the last sentence, in which he calls for someone to make the position their own. He points out that Raab is the eighth lord chancellor in 10 turbulent years for the justice system.

Sweeting said:

Robert Buckland MP QC has been lord chancellor and secretary of state for justice at a time when the justice system has faced unprecedented challenges. The Bar Council has worked closely with him and the Ministry of Justice during his time in office. We are grateful for his willingness, as a former practising barrister, to work collaboratively and listen to the legal professions. We wish him well and look forward to working with his successor Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP, also a qualified lawyer. As we welcome the eighth justice secretary in the last 10 years to play this vital role, the need for a consistent and strong voice in government for our justice system could not be greater.

Updated

Nadine Dorries may be the next culture secretary, the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg reports.

Dorries, currently a health minister, is a very successful fiction writer, which means she would be better qualified to represent the creative industries than many other people who have done that job. But she is also rightwing and pro-Brexit - two traits that might make her less welcome in the arts world.

Michael Gove becomes housing secretary, with added responsibility for levelling up

Michael Gove is the new housing secretary, No 10 has announced. As well as being the new secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, he will also take on “cross-government responsibility for levelling up” while he “retains ministerial responsibility for the union and elections”.

He was at the Cabinet Office where he was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Liz Truss, the new foreign secretary, photographed as she left No 10 earlier.
Liz Truss, the new foreign secretary, photographed as she left No 10 earlier. Photograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA

Michael Gove will move from the Cabinet Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which is also becoming the levelling-up department, the Telegraph’s Ben Riley-Smith reports.

Updated

Summary

This is from ITV’s Anushka Asthana on Liz Truss’s promotion.

And this is from the FT’s Philip Stephens. (King Charles Street is where the Foreign Office is based.)

Nadine Dorries, the health minister, and Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccine deployment minister, have gone in to Downing Street.

Zahawi has been tipped as the next party chair.

Sir Bob Neill, the Conservative chair of the Commons justice committee, thinks Robert Buckland did not deserve to be sacked, Sky’s Jon Craig reports.

This is from David Lammy, the shadow justice secretary, on his new opposite number, Dominic Raab.

Appointing a failed foreign secretary who was fired for being missing in action to be the sixth justice secretary in six years shows how little this government cares about victims of crime.

Under this government, the crown court backlog has reached a record-high, while the number of rape convictions are at a record-low.

Victims need a justice secretary who is capable of fixing the courts crisis the government created, not one who has been open about his opposition to the fundamental rights and freedoms that the public depends on.

And this is from Wera Hobhouse, the Lib Dem justice spokesperson.

There is no justice in this promotion. Raab is the latest member of this Tory government to be rewarded for failure. After his catastrophic handling of the Afghanistan crisis, he should be out of government altogether.

Raab has spent his career attacking the Human Rights Act and trying to undermine our cherished British freedoms. Liberal Democrats will not let him use his new position to roll back our rights.

Priti Patel leaving Downing Street earlier after learning she is staying as home secretary.
Priti Patel leaving Downing Street earlier after learning she is staying as home secretary. Photograph: Alberto Pezzali/AP

Liz Truss promoted to foreign secretary

Downing Street has confirmed Liz Truss’s appointment as foreign secretary.

Liz Truss is the next foreign secretary, the Times’ Steven Swinford reports. That is is big promotion for the international trade secretary. But the move will be popular with Tory members, who have regularly rated her as the best performing member of the cabinet. (See 2.26pm.)

Updated

These are from ITV’s Robert Peston.

Michael Gove arriving at Downing Street a few minutes ago.
Michael Gove arriving at Downing Street a few minutes ago. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA

Priti Patel staying as home secretary, No 10 says

Priti Patel is staying as home secretary, my colleague Jessica Elgot reports.

UPDATE: No 10 has just confirmed this.

Updated

Rishi Sunak is staying as chancellor, No 10 has confirmed. No one thought he wasn’t.

Updated

Downing Street has confirmed that Robert Buckland, Robert Jenrick and Gavin Williamson have all been sacked. A spokesperson said they have all “now left government”. The spokesperson went on:

Robert Buckland has made a huge contribution to government as justice secretary and lord chancellor, including making our streets safer through significant reforms to sentencing and tackling reoffending. The prime minister is grateful for his hard work and dedication.

Robert Jenrick has led crucial work over the last two years, most importantly driving reforms to build more houses so home ownership becomes a reality for many more people. The prime minister is grateful for his drive and commitment.

Gavin Williamson has played a key role in transforming the skills agenda as we create a high wage and high skilled economy, providing a lifetime skills guarantee for millions across the country. The prime minister is grateful for his loyalty and service.

What does being deputy PM mean?

Downing Street has confirmed that Dominic Raab is becoming justice secretary and deputy PM. It says the Queen has approved his appointment as “deputy prime minister, lord chancellor, and secretary of state for justice”.

He seems to have lost the first secretary of state title, but arguably deputy PM is just a fancier version of first secretary of state.

Most cabinets have someone seen as the de facto deputy PM, but very few people had the job as a formal title. The last person was Nick Clegg. Because of the nature of the coalition, he had some clout. If he had gone, he could have collapsed the coalition. For other people, the title has been more cosmetic. Geoffrey Howe was made deputy prime minister when (like Raab) he was moved from foreign secretary. Howe also had another, more junior job (leader of the Commons). Being deputy prime minister sounded important, but Bernard Ingham, Margaret Thatcher’s press secretary, briefed that the title was essentially meaningless.

Raab moving from foreign secretary to justice secretary, with upgrade to deputy PM too

Dominic Raab is moving from foreign secretary to justice secretary, the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg reports.

That would be a demotion.

But she also says he is being made deputy prime minister, as well as retaining his first secretary of state title, which arguably would count as a promotion.

UPDATE: The Spectator’s James Forsyth has heard the same.

Updated

These are from ITV’s Carl Dinnen.

And this was from the FT’s Sebastian Payne a few minutes ago.

Amanda Milling has refused to say if she has been sacked, Sky’s Jon Craig reports.

Sky’s Jon Craig thinks Amanda Milling may be sacked from her post as Conservative party co-chair.

Harriet Harman, the former Labour deputy leader and chair of the joint committee on human rights, has paid tribute to Robert Buckland.

And Jess Phillips, the shadow minister of domestic violence, has complimented Buckland too.

I may have missed them, but I have not seen tweets from Labour MPs saying anything similar about Gavin Williamson or Robert Jenrick.

These are from Danny Shaw, the former BBC home affairs correspondent, on the departure of Robert Buckland.

The Times’ Henry Zeffman says the big losers from the reshuffle so far were all key Boris Johnson supporters in the past.

(Eventually Johnson ends up letting down almost everyone, although of course there is much to be said for a PM not letting personal loyalty get in the way get in the way of appointing the best ministers.)

Why was Robert Jenrick forced out? His sacking was probably more in the Gavin Williamson mode than the Robert Buckland mode. (See 2.26pm.) Although loyal to Boris Johnson, and said to be well regarded by his wife Carrie, Jenrick has been associated with a series of gaffes or scandals, and was seen as lucky to keep his job after intervening in a planning decision to help the billionaire Tory donor Richard Desmond. Jenrick’s move was subsequently ruled unlawful.

Jenrick is also in charge of the planning bill. But his initial plans to create a presumption in favour of development in some areas have horrified green belt Tories, and a rethink is now underway.

Robert Jenrick sacked from his post as housing secretary

Robert Jenrick has been sacked from his post as housing, communities and local government secretary.

From the Sun’s Harry Cole

Updated

Two cabinet ministers have been sacked now, but the circumstances of their departure are very different.

Gavin Williamson was widely expected to go as education secretary because his performance in the post was seen as seen as poor, and at time disastrous. He has regularly come bottom, by a long way, in the ConservativeHome survey of how party members rank the performance of cabinet ministers. Here are the latest ratings.

How Tory members rate cabinet ministers
How Tory members rate cabinet ministers Photograph: ConservativeHome

According to Sky, Williamson was offered an alternative post by Boris Johnson, but refused to take a demotion.

Robert Buckland is different. In a cabinet not seen as one of history’s ablest or most impressive, he was regarded as a solid performer, and Conservative party members were relatively pleased with his performance.

But Buckland’s problem may have been that he was dispensable. He voted remain, and unlike other cabinet remainers, has never pretended to go through an ideological conversion to the Vote Leave cause. Although liked by colleagues, he does not have supporters likely to cause trouble if he leaves the government. And, unlike some in government, he did not seem keen on waging war on the judiciary. The Conservative manifesto proposed limiting the scope of judicial review, as part of an attack on what Tories describe as “judicial activism”, but Buckland, a QC himself, only seemed to have limited enthusiasm for this. He appointed an independent commission to consider the issue, but it ended up proposing just limited reforms.

Buckland may also have been a bed-blocker, because there is speculation that Johnson wanted him out so he could offer his job to Dominic Raab.

Robert Buckland sacked from post as justice secretary

Robert Buckland confirms he has been sacked from his post as justice secretary.

His tweet makes it clear that he is definitely leaving the government.

These are from Branwen Jeffreys, the BBC’s education editor, on Gavin Williamson.

Boris Johnson is now back at No 10, according to Steve Back, who tweets as @PoliticalPics.

Robert Buckland is being moved from his post as justice secretary, Sky suggests.

From ITV’s Robert Peston

Gavin Williamson sacked from post as education secretary

Gavin Williamson has confirmed he is no longer education secretary.

The line in the second tweet about “continuing to support the prime minister and the government” implies that Williamson is returning to the backbenches, but he has not said that explicitly. Williamson expected to be moved, but reportedly was angling for another job, such as leader of the Commons, or Northern Ireland secretary.

The current co-party chair is Amanda Milling, and she has been seen not far from the PM’s office in the Commons, the Times’ Eleni Courea. Milling has been tipped for a move.

Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccine deployment minister, has arrived in the Commons, the Sun’s Harry Cole reports. Zahawi is tipped for promotion - possibly to Conservative party chair.

Here is more on what might be happening to Dominic Raab.

Dominic Raab leaving the Foreign Office earlier. It is thought he is meeting the PM in the House of Commons about now.
Dominic Raab leaving the Foreign Office earlier. It is thought he is meeting the PM in the House of Commons about now. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

From ITV’s Robert Peston

Oliver Dowden, currently culture secretary, is due to be giving a speech in Cambridge this afternoon. He is still going, Sky’s Beth Rigby says.

Downing Street has confirmed that the government hopes to complete cabinet-level appointments today, with more junior posts to follow tomorrow.

Dominic Raab is seeing the PM now, the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg reports.

PMQs - Snap verdict

With the reshuffle now under way, today’s PMQs will probably be a hazy memory long before teatime. That will be a pity because it was a useful guide to how the dividing lines are settling on three key issues. Theo Bertram, a former Labour aide, thinks No 10 deliberately confirmed the reshuffle near the end of the Boris Johnson/Keir Starmer exchanges because Johnson was doing so badly. There may be something in that, but the reshuffle confirmation was going to come very soon anyway, and the attention of the lobby was always going to move on.

Betram is right about Johnson floundering badly when Starmer asked him about the universal credit cuts. Johnson had no realistic answer at all to the question about how people who face losing around £1,000, and that showed by the fact that he reverted to making an irrelevant point about lockdown. He also falsely claimed that all claimants would lose under Labour because the party wants to abolish universal credit. They wouldn’t, because Labour wants to make the benefits system more generous, but Starmer did not make this point, and the exchange suggests that the pledge to abolish UC could be a policy albatross - particularly given that (as far as anyone can tell) Labour just wants to reform UC, not abandon it altogether. (It has taken almost a decade to implement and is still being rolled out, and almost no one in the welfare system would want to start again from scratch.)

Starmer easily had the better of Johnson in these exchanges, but the Tory cheering kept the PM afloat and he did not look particularly humbled. But he did come across as someone who has not fully acknowledged quite how much financial pain his government is about to inflict on millions.

The second half of the Johnson/Starmer exchanges focused on the health and social care levy, and here Johnson was stronger. Starmer has firmed up his attack lines from last week, although his panto-style call and response routine did not quite work. (It is not something they try in court, one imagines.) But Johnson has sharpened his attack line too, and he sounded much more comfortable labelling Labour as a party that voted against £36bn for the NHS. And he boiled it down to “Vote Labour, wait longer”, which was more pithy and memorable than any of Starmer’s phrase-making today.

A third issue came up when Johnson claimed that the Tories were now the party of high wages and controlled immigration, while Labour were the opposite. It won’t feel like this to people affected by the UC cut, or who see their pay rises swallowed up by inflation, but it is notable because it shows Johnson seeking to make a virtue of the labour shortages that have been good for HGV drives seeking a pay rise (but less good for shoppers and traders).

Updated

Kemi Badenoch, who doubles up as equalities minister and a Treasury minister, has been spotted outside the PM’s office in the Commons, according to the Times’ Eleni Courea. Badenoch has been tipped for education secretary.

From ITV’s Carl Dinnen

Gavin Williamson was one of two cabinet ministers conspicuously missing from the frontbench during PMQs. The other was Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, another minister tipped for demotion.

Raab is first secretary of state (theoretically the de facto deputy PM) as well as foreign secretary. It is possible that he could be moved out of the Foreign Office, but allowed to keep the first secretary of state title, in a way that would make any move look less like a demotion.

Updated

Gavin Williamson, the education secretary, has already given a leaving speech, according to HuffPost’s Sophia Sleigh.

Sarah Jones (Lab) asks about constituents being charged £23,000 to remove dangerous cladding who do not get government help because it is the wrong type of cladding.

Johnson says, if people do not need to remove that cladding, they will not get help. He says too many flats have been deemed unsafe.

And that’s it. PMQs is over, and Johnson is off to get started on the sackings. (See 12.22pm.)

Neil Parish (Con) asks the government to back public procurement for British food.

Johnson backs the idea, says Parish himself is the living embodiment of the virtues of British food. He says all embassies now have a food envoy.

Johnson says the future of work under Labour is low skills and law wages, driven by high immigration.

Andrew Bridgen (Con) asks about government support for nuclear power.

Johnson says the government is waiting for the Rolls Royce consortium to come forward with a fully worked out plan.

Jamie Stone (Lib Dem) asks the PM to back a space project in Sutherland.

Johnson welcomes the project. It needs a suitable payload, he says. He says Keir Starmer would be suitable.

Kieran Mullan (Con) asks the PM to attend a meeting on the geothermal sector.

Johnson says he is very interested in these projects, and will hold a meeting.

Jack Dromey (Lab) asks about the proposed GKN factory closure in Birmingham.

Johnson says the business secretary is looking at this. But the future for the automative sector in the UK is bright, he says. The country is moving towards electric vehicles. That will drive high-skilled jobs, he says.

Bob Blackman (Con) asks the PM to back the Scouts movement, and praises its new youth wing, the Squirrels.

Johnson says this initiative is fantastic.

Nadia Whittome (Lab) says she was able to take time off to recover form PTSD. But other people cannot do this. Will the PM agree to raise sick pay to a level where people can live on it?

Johnson says most people who are ill get more than statutory sick pay.

Mark Harper, the chair of the Tory Covid Recovery Group, says testing for children is interrupting their education. Does the PM agree?

Johnson says the government still thinks testing is a good way of keeping schools open, which is the best thing for pupils.

Anum Qaisar-Javed (SNP) asks the PM to join her in thanking health staff who fight childhood cancer. And will he attend a meeting to discuss how funding can be increased.

Johnson says not a family in the country has not been touched by this. He endorses what Qaisar-Javed said.

Kim Leadbeater (Lab) asks if the PM accepts the UC cuts will impact on people’s mental health.

Johnson says it would not. He says Labour would abolish UC altogether.

Neil Hudson (Con) asks if the PM will back plans to rebuild a community college in his constituency.

Johnson says 100 rebuild projects are underway already. And he says Cumbria county council has been awarded £5m for projects including this one.

Johnson says the UK has cut its dependency on coal from 40% to 1%.

Sir Roger Gale (Con) asks about a local farm that has had to trash its produce because of a shortage of pickers. Will the PM introduce a Covid recovery visa so that crops are not lost?

Johnson says he supports buying British and eating British. He says the government wants to take steps to ensure farms get the labour they need.

Tom Randall (Con) asks if there will be a review of maternity services in Nottinghamshire.

Johnson says a review is going ahead.

Chris Byrant (Lab) says there are not enough NHS doctors to save lives by dealing with the cancer backlog.

Johnson says the government is hiring more doctors and nurses.

He urges Bryant to support the NHS funding package announced last week.

No 10 confirms reshuffle happening today, saying it will focus on 'uniting and levelling up country'

A No 10 source told journalists:

The PM will today conduct a reshuffle to put in place a strong and united team to build back better from the pandemic.

Yesterday the PM set out his plan for managing Covid during the autumn and winter.

But the government must also redouble our efforts to deliver on the people’s priorities. The PM will be appointing ministers this afternoon with a focus on uniting and levelling up the whole country.

Updated

Chris Green (Con) says, now the move to a national ID card has started, nationalists will use them to break up the union.

Johnson says he is opposed to ID cards.

Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, says inflation is at is highest rate for a decade. Prices are going up when workers can least afford it. There is a Tory poverty pandemic that will only get worse. How much will welfare cuts cost the average nurse?

Johnson says the government is protected the wages of people on low income by freezing fuel duty and supporting childcare. The government is investing massively in health and social care, he says.

Blackford says the PM either does not know the answer to the question, or does not care. The average nurse will lose more than £1,000, he says. The PM does not know how much his cuts will hit people, and the DWP secretary does not know how the system works. He says any Scottish Tory MPs with a backbone would be advised to find it. Or has the PM brought them off with the promise of a job.

Johnson says nurses have access to a training bursary worth £5,000, and another bursary worth £3,000 for childcare. And their pay has gone up 3%, he says. He says if Blackford is really saying the SNP is opposed to that investment, he would be better off banging on about a referendum.

Johnson says the government is working to address the lorry driver shortage. It has changed the licensing rules. After a long period of stagnation for drivers, they are seeing wages going up. Labour is opposed to that, he says.

Starmer says he wonders what people facing a £1,000 cut will make of that. The fact is that taxes are going up, national insurance up, council tax up and energy prices up. The PM could change course and vote with Labour against the universal credit cut earlier.

Johnson says the panto season has come earlier. (Some Labour MPs were chanting up with Starmer.) Johnson does his own version: the highest employment in the G7, employment up, wages up.

He says Starmer is due to publish a 14,000 word essay on his philosophy. Having listened to Starmer he can compress those 14,000 words to four: vote Labour, wait longer. He says his plan for jobs is working, his plan for Covid is working.

Starmer says an unfair tax that will not fix social care is not a plan. He says some low paid workers will lose £1,000 a year under the universal credit cut. Yet the government has wasted billions on contracts for cronies, he says.

Johnson says the government is paying nurses more, hiring more of them, and putting £36bn into the NHS. One person in 10 is on an NHS waiting list. He says Labour has no plan for that.

Starmer says low paid people cannot work the extra hours to recoup the money. And they would need to do that because of the broken tax system. For every extra pound earned, the government will take 75p. Why is the PM hammering them with a tax rise?

Johnson claims payments are being increased. He claims it was incredible that the party of Nye Bevan voted against more money for the NHS last week. They do not have a plan to fix the NHS, he says.

Starmer says people would have to work an extra nine hours to make up the money. That is an extra day. How will people find the time?

Johnson says the government is taking measures to raise wages. It is investing in skills. The government wants a high wage economy, with controlled immigration. Labour wants low wages and uncontrolled immigration, he says.

Starmer says Johnson did not answer the question. The work and pensions secretary thinks the answer is two hours. Is the correct answer higher or lower?

Johnson says wages are rising. Labour want to take money from people and put them into higher benefits. Johnson says he wants people to earn more. He praises a Costa Coffee initiative and says if we had listened to “Captain Hindsight” (Starmer) we would still be in lockdown.

Summary

Sir Keir Starmer offers his condolences following the death of the PM’s mother and asks how many extra hours someone on universal credit would have to work to make up for the £20 they will lose under the government’s cut.

Johnson says every single UC claimant would lose under the Labour’s plan because they want to abolish the benefit.

Caroline Nokes (Con) asks about children affected by sodium valproate.

Johnson says the government is committed to accepting the recommendations of the Cumberlege Review, that considered this.

Updated

Boris Johnson starts by congratulating Emma Raducanu and other players for their victories in the US Open.

PMQs

PMQs is starting shortly.

Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question.

PMQs list
PMQs list Photograph: Parliament

Here is some more reshuffle comment/speculation.

From the FT’s Sebastian Payne

From my colleague Jessica Elgot

From the Telegraph’s Cat Neilan

From the Daily Mirror’s Rachel Wearmouth

Boris Johnson's reshuffle tipped to start later today

Three sources have told the Guardian that Boris Johnson is planning to finally overhaul his cabinet with a reshuffle later today.

There has been no denial from Downing Street and civil servant are on high alert for a change of secretary of state in their department.

Diaries have been cleared and “first day” plans for inducting new ministers are at the ready.

Special advisers - whose jobs often depend on whether their minister gets to keep their job - are also conceding they expect a reshuffle today.

After weeks of speculation, it could be that Wednesday is finally the day. Some believe the timing makes sense because Johnson is away at the UN general assembly meeting next week, parliament is soon to break up for conference recess, and an overhaul of the cabinet is badly needed.

However, others have been sceptical, thinking it would be difficult to move ministers just weeks before Conservative party conference where they are due to make major speeches, ahead of the spending review and before Cop26 in November.

“At least it will - finally - be gotten out of the way,” one exasperated frontbencher said.

Updated

This is from the Times’s George Grylls.

Paul Goodman has a good guide to some of the issues affecting reshuffle decisions in a ConservativeHome article here.

This is from Sky’s Sam Coates on the reshuffle.

And these are from the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg.

PM's plan could leave country 'sleepwalking into another lockdown', Lib Dems claim

Sir Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, has claimed the plan B contingency measures announced by the government yesterday will be “hopeless” if Covid cases get out of control. In a statement he argued the measures in the autumn and winter plan would make another lockdown more likely, not less likely. He said:

People looking at this so-called winter Covid plan B will be deeply concerned that the government still doesn’t understand how to control this virus.

Time after time throughout this pandemic the government has acted too late, failing to provide people with the right support and failing to control the virus, costing tens of thousands of lives. Plan B is the same thing all over again, these measures will be hopeless once the virus is already out of control.

If the prime minister isn’t careful he will leave the country sleepwalking into another winter lockdown. Our economy, our children and our carers cannot afford yet another dangerous Covid surge.

Ed Davey.
Ed Davey. Photograph: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/PA

Updated

Dr David Nabarro, World Health Organization special envoy for Covid, said this morning that he was unhappy about the UK government’s decision to vaccinate 12- to 15-year-olds. He told Sky News that he thought those vaccine supplies would be better used in the developing world. He said:

I actually think that we should be using the scarce amounts of vaccine in the world today to make sure that everybody at risk, wherever they are, is protected ...

Now, some countries giving lots of vaccine and doing boosters and giving it to some children - I find that difficult because from my point of view, as somebody who’s responsible for world issues, I just can’t distinguish between a person in the UK or a person in Uruguay who’s at risk of the disease - I want to see the vaccine available to everybody.

Updated

Commons culture committee urges government to block Paul Dacre from re-applying to be next Ofcom chair

The Commons culture committee has urged the government to block Paul Dacre, the former Daily Mail editor, from re-applying to be chair of Ofcom.

In a statement issued this morning, the Conservative MP Julian Knight, who chairs the committee, said it was “extremely alarming” that the government was minded to let Dacre apply again after his application was rejected earlier this year by an application board.

Dacre, a fierce supporter of Brexit who in the past has been critical of supposed leftish bias in the BBC, is understood to be Boris Johnson’s preferred candidate for the post, which would put him in charge of the body responsible for regulating broadcasting.

But earlier this year the interview panel set up to vet the final four candidates for the job decided that Dacre was “not appointable”. Rather than appoint one of the other three top candidates, Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, decided to re-run the contest to give Dacre a second chance.

This morning Knight released the text of a letter he has sent, on behalf of his committee, to the culture department saying the new recruitment process defines the qualities needed in the next Ofcom chair in almost identical terms to the way the job was described in the original job specification.

But normally when a recruitment process for a post like this is re-run, previous candidates deemed unsuitable are told not to reapply. The culture department has not done that in this case, but Knight said it should.

In a statement he said:

The DCMS [Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport] committee has once again had to raise important concerns around the appointments process for the new chair of Ofcom. The recruitment process is being re-run despite the absence of any adequate explanation being provided by government on the need to do so.

Where a previous candidate has been deemed to be unappointable for a post, they should be ruled out of re-applying. However, this crucial line is missing from the campaign information to recruit Ofcom’s next chair. It would be extremely alarming if this was a deliberate omission rather than an oversight and we are seeking clarification.

Javid says Covid curbs will return in England if cases get out of control

In his morning interviews Sajid Javid, the health secretary, also said Covid restrictions would return if the virus got “out of control” again this year. My colleague Aubrey Allegretti has the story here.

Updated

The Scottish parliament’s governing body is refusing to back down on “unjustified” plans which could affect protesters outside the Holyrood building, as the Scottish Greens – who signed a cooperation deal with the SNP government last month – demand a rethink.

The parliament’s governing body has insisted it is not seeking to limit or curb protest outside the Holyrood building, after serious objections have been raised by opposition parties, legal experts and campaigners over plans to make the parliament a “protected site”. This would give the building the protection already in place for the House of Commons and the Welsh Senedd and would give Police Scotland the authority to remove protesters who were there without lawful authority and impose fines.

Holyrood’s corporate body has refused to publish its reasons, and yesterday Green MSP Gillian Mackay argued in the chamber that there had been no consultation with MSPs or the public.

But Scottish Labour MSP Claire Baker, speaking for the body, “categorically” assured fellow MSPs that people’s right to protest outside parliament would not change.

With the Scottish Lib Dems also demanded more detail on how the plans will work, this row looks set to run.

There is increasing speculation that Boris Johnson may start on his reshuffle after PMQs today. This is from ITV’s political editor, Robert Peston.

And this is from his BBC counterpart, Laura Kuenssberg.

Sajid Javid defends Tory MPs’ refusal to wear masks in cabinet and Commons

Good morning. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has been doing a morning interview round this morning, and he has been asked why Conservative ministers and MPs are so reluctant to wear masks. It is because when they are at Westminster they are not with strangers, he said. This is what he told Sky News when asked why no one was wearing a mask at yesterday’s crowded cabinet meeting.

That is perfectly consistent with what the prime minister said yesterday and what I said yesterday, because what we said was that people should consider wearing masks in crowded places when they are with strangers, when they are with people that they are normally spending time with.

And he used the same argument when asked why so few Conservative MPs wear masks in the Commons chamber (even though the parliamentary authorities say wearing a mask there is “strongly advised”). He told Times Radio:

I think people should just use their judgment. Be sensible. If you are in crowded places with poor ventilation with strangers, people that you just don’t know, people should consider wearing a mask and we’ve been clear about that from July.

But equally if you’re with people that you’re regularly with and most people are vaccinated or you’ve good reason to believe that they are, you can take a different approach.

The government’s autumn and winter Covid plan (pdf) published yesterday does advise wearing a face covering “in crowded and enclosed settings where you come into contact with people you do not normally meet”.

But Labour has mocked Javid for suggesting that people might not catch Covid from someone they know. This is from the deputy party leader, Angela Rayner.

Here is the agenda for the day.

10am: Lord Deben, chair of the climate change committee, gives evidence to the Commons housing, communities and local government committee.

10.15am: Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the DUP leader, gives evidence to the Lords constitution committee.

10.30am: Robert Buckland, the justice secretary, gives evidence to the Lords justice and home affairs committee.

12pm: Boris Johnson faces Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs.

Around 1pm: MPs start debating a Labour motion saying the £20 per week cut to universal credit planned for next month should be abandoned. The vote will be at about 4pm.

2pm: Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, and other Greater Manchester leaders hold a press conference on Covid.

For further Covid coverage, do read our global live blog.

I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.

If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.

Alternatively, you can email me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com

Updated

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