2021 British cabinet reshuffle explained

Boris Johnson carried out the second significant reshuffle of his majority government from 15 September to 18 September 2021, having last done so in February 2020.

Cabinet-level changes

Minister	Position before reshuffle	Position after reshuffle
								Rt Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP				Secretary of State for Education				Left the government^[1] ^[2]
								Nadhim Zahawi MP				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment				Secretary of State for Education
								Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC MP				Secretary of State for Justice Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain				Left the government^[3] ^[4]
	Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP	First Secretary of State Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs	Deputy Prime Minister Secretary of State for Justice Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
	Rt Hon Liz Truss MP	Secretary of State for International Trade Minister for Women and Equalities	Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Minister for Women and Equalities
								Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP				Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth				Secretary of State for International Trade
								Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP				Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government				Left the government^[5]
	Rt Hon Michael Gove MP	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Minister for the Cabinet Office	Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
	Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP	Chief Secretary to the Treasury	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Minister for the Cabinet Office
								Simon Clarke MP				Backbencher				Chief Secretary to the Treasury
	Rt Hon Amanda Milling MP	Minister without Portfolio Chairman of the Conservative Party	Minister of State for Asia^[6] ^[7]
	Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP	Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport	Minister without Portfolio Chairman of the Conservative Party
								Nadine Dorries MP				Minister of State for Mental Health, Suicide Prevention and Patient Safety				Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
								Nigel Adams MP				Minister of State for Asia				Minister of State for the Cabinet Office
								Kit Malthouse MP				Minister of State for Crime and Policing				Attending Cabinet
								Michelle Donelan MP				Minister of State for Universities				Minister of State for Higher and Further Education Attending Cabinet

Junior ministerial changes

Minister		Position before reshuffle	Position after reshuffle
	Rt Hon Greg Hands MP	Minister of State for Trade Policy	Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth
	Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP	Paymaster General	Minister of State for Trade Policy
	Rt Hon Michael Ellis QC MP	Solicitor General for England and Wales	Paymaster General
	Alex Chalk MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice	Solicitor General for England and Wales
								James Cartlidge MP				Backbencher				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice
								Luke Hall MP				Minister of State for Regional Growth and Local Government				Left the government^[8]
	Kemi Badenoch MP	Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities	Minister of State for Regional Growth and Local Government Minister of State for Equalities
	Helen Whately MP	Minister of State for Social Care	Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury
								Gillian Keegan MP				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills				Minister of State for Care and Mental Health
								Alex Burghart MP				Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Apprenticeships and Skills
								Andrew Griffith MP				Backbencher				Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
								Rt Hon Jesse Norman MP				Financial Secretary to the Treasury				Left the government
	Rt Hon Lucy Frazer QC MP	Minister of State for Prisons and Probation	Financial Secretary to the Treasury
								Victoria Atkins MP				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding				Minister of State for Prisons and Probation
	Rachel Maclean MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding
								Trudy Harrison MP				Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
								Sarah Dines MP				Backbench				Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
								James Duddridge MP				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa				Left the government
	Vicky Ford MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Africa
	Will Quince MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Welfare Delivery	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families
								David Rutley MP				Lord Commissioner of the Treasury				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Welfare Delivery
								Rt Hon Nick Gibb MP				Minister of State for School Standards				Left the government^[9]
	Hon Robin Walker MP	Minister of State for Northern Ireland	Minister of State for School Standards
								Rt Hon Conor Burns MP				Backbencher				Minister of State for Northern Ireland
								Matt Warman MP				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital Infrastructure				Left the government
	Chris Philp MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Immigration Compliance and Courts	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital Economy
								Tom Pursglove MP				Assistant Government Whip				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Immigration Compliance and Courts
								Rt Hon John Whittingdale OBE MP				Minister of State for Media and Data				Left the government
	Julia Lopez MP	Minister for Implementation	Minister of State for Media and Data
								Victoria Prentis MP				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Farming, Fisheries and Food				Minister of State for Farming, Fisheries and Food
	Jo Churchill MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Prevention, Public Health and Primary Care	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
								Maria Caulfield MP				Assistant Government Whip				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Prevention, Public Health and Primary Care
								Graham Stuart MP				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exports				Left the government
								Mike Freer MP				Comptroller of HM Household				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exports
								George Freeman MP				Backbencher				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science, Research and Innovation
								Maggie Throup MP				Lord Commissioner of the Treasury				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment
								Lee Rowley MP				Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party Backbencher				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Industry
								Justin Tomlinson MP				Minister of State for Disabled People, Work and Health				Left the government to become Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party
	Chloe Smith MP	Minister of State for the Constitution and Devolution	Minister of State for Disabled People, Work and Health
								Neil O'Brien MP				Backbencher				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, The Union and Constitution
								Caroline Dinenage MP				Minister of State for Digital and Culture				Left the government
								David Duguid MP				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland				Left the government
								The Lord Offord of Garvel				None (appointed Peer)				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
								The Baroness Berridge				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the School System				Left the government
	The Baroness Stedman-Scott	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women
	The Baroness Barran	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Civil Society	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Schools System
								The Lord Bethell				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Innovation				Left the government
								The Lord Kamall				Backbench Peer				Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Innovation

Whips' Office appointments

Whip	Previous position	New position
	Marcus Jones MP	Vice-Chamberlain of HM Household	Comptroller of HM Household
	James Morris MP	Lord Commissioner of the Treasury	Vice-Chamberlain of HM Household
	Amanda Solloway MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science, Research and Innovation	Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
	Lee Rowley MP	Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party Backbencher
	Craig Whittaker MP	Backbencher
	Gareth Johnson MP	Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs	Assistant Government Whip
	Andrea Jenkyns MP	Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
	Steve Double MP	Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
	James Cartlidge MP	Backbencher
	Heather Wheeler MP	Backbencher
	The Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen	Backbench Peer	Baroness-in-waiting
	The Lord Sharpe of Epsom	Backbench Peer	Lord-in-waiting

Reaction

Demotion of Dominic Raab

There had been growing speculation that Dominic Raab would be demoted from his position as Foreign Secretary, as a result of his handling of the Taliban offensive in August 2021.^[10] On the day of the reshuffle, Raab met with the Prime Minister for a considerable length of time, having initially refused to leave the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The Financial Times reported that Raab was "throwing his toys out of [the] pram". Sources are alleged to have told Sky News that Raab was "very angry" at Johnson's decision to move him.^[11] Eventually, Raab accepted his new position as Secretary of State for Justice and was given the additional role of Deputy Prime Minister, making him the first minister to hold the office since Nick Clegg during the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition (2010–2015).^[12]

Appointment of Nadine Dorries

The appointment of Nadine Dorries as Culture Secretary was heavily criticised in the arts and culture sectors.^{[13] [14]} Her promotion to the Cabinet was questioned due to her right-wing views and inexperience^[15] Dorries was dubbed by some as the new "Secretary of State for Culture Wars", with concerns raised about her extreme views on cultural issues.^{[16] [17]} Following her appointment, the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union called on the new minister to "focus more on supporting our cultural industries and less on stoking divisive culture wars".^[18]

Notable dismissals

After Robert Buckland was dismissed as Secretary of State for Justice and replaced by Dominic Raab, there was some criticism from Sir Bob Neill, chairman of the Justice Select Committee. Neill told Sky News that removing Buckland from his position was "unjust, outrageous" and that he had been "shabbily treated" by Johnson.^[19] Derek Sweeting, chairman of the Bar Council, appeared to criticise the turnover of justice secretaries, stating: "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".^[20]

Alix Culbertson wrote that Gavin Williamson's sacking was of "little surprise" following his handling of GCSE grades.^[21] He was also criticised for confusing rugby player Maro Itoje with Marcus Rashford.^[22] Wes Streeting responded to reports that Williamson had been ‘tipped for knighthood’ saying "there should be no rewards for failure."^[23] On 24 September 2021, Williamson unfollowed Boris Johnson on Instagram.^[24]

Later changes

In December 2021, Wendy Morton and Chris Heaton-Harris swapped ministerial jobs (Minister of State for Europe and Minister of State for Transport).^[25]

See also

• Second Johnson ministry
• Premiership of Boris Johnson
• List of departures from the second Johnson ministry
• 2021 in politics and government

Notes and References

1. News: Gavin Williamson Sacked As Education Secretary. PoliticsHome. Adam Payne. 15 September 2021.
2. Gavin Williamson . GavinWilliamson . 1438120943323320334 . It has been a privilege to serve as Education Secretary since 2019. Despite the challenges of the global pandemic, I'm particularly proud of the transformational reforms I've led in Post 16 education: in further education colleges, our Skills agenda, apprenticeships and more..
3. News: Robert Buckland Has Been Sacked As Justice Secretary In Boris Johnson's Reshuffle. PoliticsHome. Alain Tolhurst. 15 September 2021.
4. Robert Buckland . RobertBuckland . 1438126691864518663 . It has been an honour to serve in Government for the last 7 years, and as the Lord Chancellor for the last 2. I am deeply proud of everything I have achieved. On to the next adventure.
5. Robert Jenrick . RobertJenrick . 1438132888831152135 . It's been a huge privilege to serve as Secretary of State @mhclg. Thank you to everyone at the department for their hard work, dedication and friendship. I'm deeply proud of all we achieved. I will continue to support the Prime Minister and the Government in every way I can..
6. Amanda Milling . amandamilling . 1438149276853489664 . It's been a privilege and an honour to be the Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party. Thank you to the voluntary party and the team at CCHQ for their support. Thank you to @BorisJohnson for this opportunity. I will continue working to deliver on our plans to level up the UK..
7. Web site: Amanda Milling back in Government. 2021-09-15. Twitter. en.
8. Web site: Hall. Luke. Luke Hall (politician). 15 September 2021. It's been a huge honour to serve as Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government in mhclg and am proud of all we achieved. Grateful to the excellent team in MHCLG and particularly my superb Private Office. Looking forward to supporting the Government from the backbenches.. live. 2021-09-15. Twitter. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20210915210042/https://twitter.com/lukehall/status/1438235537438121986 . 15 September 2021 .
9. Web site: 2021-09-15. Reshuffle: Schools minister Nick Gibb sacked. 2021-09-15. schoolsweek.co.uk. en-GB.
10. News: Williamson, Patel and Raab facing demotion as prospect of snap reshuffle looms. The Times. 8 September 2021. Henry Zeffman. Chris Smyth.
11. News: Reshuffle live: 'Very angry' Dominic Raab demoted to justice secretary and deputy PM - with three others sacked. Sky News. 15 September 2021.
12. News: UK foreign secretary Raab moved to justice minister and deputy PM. Reuters. 15 September 2021.
13. News: Nadine Dorries isn't afraid of fanning the culture war flames - leaving the arts sector concerned. Katie Spencer. Sky News. 16 September 2021.
14. News: The appointment of Nadine Dorries sums up Boris Johnson's reshuffle – but not for the reason you think. 16 September 2021. Stephen Bush. New Statesman.
15. News: Does Nadine Dorries have what it takes to be Culture Secretary?. 16 September 2021. Daily Telegraph. Harry de Quetteville.
16. News: Nadine Dorries becoming Culture Secretary in the reshuffle shows Boris Johnson is still the master of outrage. Ayesha Hazarika. 16 September 2021. inews.
17. News: Nadine Dorries: a minister for the culture wars?. 23 September 2021. The Week.
18. News: New Culture Secretary should support our industries, instead of stoking culture wars. BECTU. 15 September 2021.
19. Jon Craig . joncraig . 1438151678944059397 . Tory MP Sir Bob Neill, who chairs Justice select committee tells me Robert Buckland's sacking is "unjust, outrageous" and "he has been shabbily treated"..
20. News: Truss replaces Raab at Foreign Office with Williamson out in cabinet reshuffle – UK politics live. 15 September 2021. The Guardian.
21. Web site: Gavin Williamson: Teaching unions 'can't pretend to be sorry' over exit of 'disastrous' education secretary. Sky News. 27 September 2021. 15 September 2021.
22. Web site: Gavin Williamson apparently confuses Maro Itoje with Marcus Rashford . 8 September 2021. The Guardian. 27 September 2021.
23. 1438973312785321989 . wesstreeting. There should be no rewards for failure. . 17 September 2021 . 27 September 2021.
24. Web site: Gavin Williamson unfollowed Boris Johnson on Instagram and people are laughing at the pettiness. Indy100. 27 September 2021. 27 September 2021.
25. Web site: Ministerial appointments: 19 December 2021. 2022-01-20. GOV.UK. en.