BREAKING NEWS: Boris Johnson is appointed Foreign Secretary and Philip Hammond becomes Chancellor in Theresa May's new-look Cabinet - but George Osborne is SACKED
- Theresa May names Boris Johnson her new Foreign Secretary in shock announcement tonight
- Philip Hammond, father of three, becomes the new Chancellor as George Osborne is dramatically sacked by May
- Amber Rudd appointed Home Secretary but Michael Gove's future in Cabinet hangs in the balance tonight
- Long-time Eurosceptic David Davis given big job of chief Brexit negotiator as May marks major break from Cameron
- Fellow prominent Brexiteer Dr Liam Fox returns to Cabinet in new post of Secretary of State forIntentional Trade
- May's first hours in charge mark a clear break from Cameron era and a sign of her bid to unite divided Tory party
- Outspoken Conservative MP Nadine Dorries rejoices at appointments, tweeting: 'The posh boys have gone. It's over'
Boris
Johnson has been appointed Britain's new Foreign Secretary in a shock
development tonight, as Theresa May started to build her new Cabinet.
She
named Philip Hammond as her new Chancellor and sacked George Osborne in
a historic evening in Westminster less than two hours after she was
officially sworn in as the UK's second female Prime Minister.
Amber
Rudd was appointed the new Home Secretary, a job made vacant after Mrs
May left the department after six years in charge. Long-time Eurosceptic
Tory David Davis has been handed the big role of chief Brexit
negotiator, a new Cabinet position.
Fellow
Brexit campaigner Dr Liam Fox returned to the Cabinet tonight after
four years of absence as he was named the Secretary of State for
International Trade - another new post and a key role following
Britain's vote to leave the EU.
Mr
Osborne was brutally sacked by Mrs May, bringing an abrupt end to his
six years in charge of the Treasury. There were also reports that all of
David Cameron's political advisors had left Downing Street - a sign Mrs
May is determined to break with the past.
The
early developments of Mrs May's first hours in charge are a clear sign
of Mrs May's attempts to unite the Conservative party after months of
bitter infighting during the EU referendum campaign.
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By bringing
in several high profile figures from the right of the party - including
Mr Davies and Dr Fox - Mrs May has handed an olive branch to Brexit
supporters who feared she would backtrack on leaving the EU having
campaigned on the Remain side.
In
other developments tonight, Michael Fallon was re-appointed Defence
Secretary, while Mrs May's close ally and leadership campaign manager
Chris Grayling was yet to be handed a new job and remains as Leader of
the Commons for now.
Mr
Hammond moves to the Treasury after serving as Foreign Secretary for
more than two years. The father of three is expected to take residence
in the flat above Number 11, where the Cameron family has been living
for the last six years.
The
Camerons swapped residencies with the Osbornes because of their larger
family. But with Mrs May and her husband Philip having no children, the
Hammonds are likely to take the bigger flat.
There were
signs earlier this week that Mrs May would not include Mr Osborne in her
new government. She used a key speech on Monday to promise a major
break from Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne's economic policy, promising to
deliver 'serious social reform'.
But
it nevertheless came as a big shock in Westminster tonight that the man
in charge of the economy for the last six years wasn't even offered a
role in the new-look Government.
Humiliatingly
Mr Osborne left No 11 by the back door after being told he was surplus
to requirements tonight. His departure marks the culmination of a
crashing comedown for a politician who was for many years favourite to
take over from David Cameron.
The
historic Brexit vote had wrecked his chances of getting the top job -
but allies had still hoped he may be able to move into one of the other
great offices of state.
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Brexit champion Boris Johnson has been made the new Foreign Secretary by new Prime Minister Theresa May
However,
the writing appeared to be on the wall after Mrs May first dropped his
plans to tackle the deficit - and then criticised his flagship austerity
measures.
As his
departure was confirmed tonight, Mr Osborne tweeted: 'It's been a
privilege to be Chancellor these last 6 yrs. Others will judge - I hope
I've left the economy in a better state than I found it.'
But
Tory backbencher Nadine Dorries - who previously attacked Mr Osborne
and Mr Cameron for being 'posh boys' who did not know the price of milk -
delivered a brutal put-down. The posh boys have gone. It's over,' she
wrote on Twitter.
As
Mrs May moved to establish her top team tonight, Brexit champion Boris
Johnson was installed as Foreign Secretary - the role that Mr Hammond
left.
Mr
Johnson, whose dreams of becoming PM were brutally ended when Michael
Gove betrayed him, has been rewarded with one of the great office of
state.
It
suggests the former Mayor of London has had the last laugh over Mr
Gove, who was serving as justice secretary under Mr Cameron but has not
currently been confirmed in any post.
However,
the ex-journalist will face a huge financial hit as he is now expected
to have to give up his newspaper column, which earns him around £260,000
a year.
Mr
Johnson pulled out of the Tory leadership race after Brexit ally Mr
Gove dramatically withrew his support and announced his own bid for the
top role - saying the ex-mayor 'cannot provide the leadership or build
the team for the task ahead'.
Mr
Johnson once claimed there was more chance of him being 'reincarnated
as an olive' than taking the keys to No 10, but until that point had
been the hot favourite to succeed Mr Cameron.
After
leading the Brexiteers to victory, the 52-year-old's stock among the
heavily Eurosceptic Conservatives grassroots was higher than ever and a
string of MPs had already thrown their support behind him.
But
doubts remained about the Old Etonian's commitment to Brexit, prompted
in part by his late and agonised declaration for the Leave camp and
fuelled by a Telegraph column in which he declared that 'Britain is part
of Europe, and always will be'.
Setting
out her stall as a 'one nation' Tory outside No 10 after being sworn in
as the UK's new Prime Minister by the Queen during a short trip to
Buckingham Palace this evening, Mrs May pledged to battle 'social
injustice' and create a 'country that works for everyone'.
She said she was determined to listen 'not to the mighty' but to the members of society who were struggling and disadvantaged.
Speaking
outside No 10 this evening after being appointed Britain's second
female Prime Minister, Mrs May said: ‘The Government I lead will be
driven not by the interests of the privileged few but by yours.
‘We
will do everything we can to give you more control over your
lives. When we take the big calls, we will think not of the powerful,
but you.'
HUMILIATED OSBORNE LEAVES BY THE BACK DOOR AS TORY MP REJOICES END OF THE 'POSH BOYS'
Humiliated George Osborne left Downing Street by the back door tonight after Theresa May kicked him out of government.
The
new Prime Minister appointed ally Philip Hammond to the role of
Chancellor, with Mr Osborne ejected from the front bench altogether.
The
departure marks the culmination of a crashing comedown for a politician
who was for many years favourite to take over from David Cameron.
The
historic Brexit vote had wrecked his chances of getting the top job -
but allies had still hoped he may be able to move into one of the other
great offices of state.
However,
the writing appeared to be on the wall after Mrs May first dropped his
plans to tackle the deficit - and then criticised his flagship austerity
measures.
As
his departure was confirmed tonight, Mr Osborne tweeted: 'It's been a
privilege to be Chancellor these last 6 yrs. Others will judge - I hope
I've left the economy in a better state than I found it.'
But
Tory backbencher Nadine Dorries - who previously attacked Mr Osborne
and Mr Cameron for being 'posh boys' who did not know the price of milk -
delivered a brutal put-down.
'The posh boys have gone. It's over,' she wrote on Twitter.
Mrs May
became Britain's second female premier, following in the footsteps of
fellow Tory Margaret Thatcher, after a 34 minute audience with the Queen
in Buckingham Palace. The monarch invited her to form a government just
minutes after Mr Cameron had been in to tender his resignation.
She
went on: ‘Not everybody knows this, but the full title of my party is
the Conservative and Unionist Party. That word Unionist is very
important to me.
Mrs
May said: ‘It means we believe in the Union, the precious, precious
bond between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It means
something else that is just as important.
‘It
means we believe in the Union not just between the nations of the
United Kingdom but between all of our citizens, every one of us, whoever
we are and wherever we are from.’
Mrs May said being a 'unionist' was not just about protecting the UK, but representing everyone who lives here.
‘That
means fighting against the burning injustice that if you are born poor
you will die on average nine years earlier than others,' she said.
‘If you are black you are treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than if you are white.'
She went on: ‘If you are a white working class boy, you are lless likely than anybody else in Britain to go to university.
‘if
you went to state school, you are less likely to reach the top
professions than if you are educated privately. ‘If you are a woman, you
will earn less than a man.
‘If
you suffer from mental health problems, there is not enough help to
hand. ‘If you are young, you will find it harder than ever before to own
your own home.’
Mrs
May said the 'mission to make Britain a country that works for everyone
means more than fighting these injustices'. ‘If you are from an
ordinary working class family, life is much harder than many people in
Westminster realise,' she said. ‘You have a job but you don’t always
have job security. You have your own home but you worry about paying the
mortgage.
‘You
can just about manage but you worry about the cost of living and
getting your kids into a good school. If you are one of those families,
if you’re just managing, I want to address you directly.
‘I
know you are working around the clock, I know you are doing your best,
and I know that sometimes life can be a struggle. ‘The Government I lead
will be driven not by the interests of the privileged few but by yours.
‘We
will do everything we can to give you more control over your
lives. ‘When we take the big calls, we will think not of the powerful,
but you.
‘When
we pass new laws, we will listen not to the mighty, but to you. ‘When
it comes to taxes, we will prioritise not the wealthy, but you.
‘When
it comes to opportunity, we won’t entrench the advantages of the
fortunate few, we will do everything we can to help anybody, whatever
your background, to go as far as your talents will take you.’
Delivering a warning about how tough process of Brexit could be, Mrs May said: ‘We are living through an important moment in the country’s history.
‘Following the referendum we face a time of great national change. I know because we are great Britain, we will rise to the challenge.
‘As we leave the European Union, we will forge a bold new positive role for ourselves in the world.
‘And we will make Britain a country that works not for the privileged few but for every one of us. ‘That will be the mission of the Government I lead and together we will build a better Britain.’
Mrs May paid tribute to Mr Cameron for his work tackling the deficit and getting people into work. 'I follow in the footsteps of a great modern Prime Minister. Under David’s leadership, the Government stabilised the economy, reduced the budget deficit and helped more people into work than ever before,' she said.
‘But David’s true legacy is not about the economy but about social justice. ‘From the introduction of same sex marriage to taking people on low wages out of tax altogether, David Cameron has led a one nation government and it is in that spirit I also plan to lead.’
The world's media had gathered in Downing Street to hear the new Prime Minister set out her stall
BREXIT BEAST BORIS JOHNSON HAS LAST LAUGH OVER TRAITOR MICHAEL GOVE
Boris Johnson has been made Foreign Secretary as Theresa May moved to bring the big beasts of Brexit into her top team.
The
former London mayor, whose dreams of becoming PM were brutally ended
when Michael Gove betrayed him, has been rewarded with one of the great
office of state.
It
suggests that Mr Johnson has had the last laugh over Mr Gove, who was
serving as justice secretary under Mr Cameron but has not currently been
confirmed in any post.
However,
the ex-journalist will face a huge financial hit as he is now expected
to have to give up his newspaper column, which earns him around £260,000
a year.
Mr
Johnson once claimed there was more chance of him being 'reincarnated
as an olive' than taking the keys to No 10, but until that point had
been the hot favourite to succeed Mr Cameron.
After
leading the Brexiteers to victory, the 52-year-old's stock among the
heavily Eurosceptic Conservatives grassroots was higher than ever and a
string of MPs had already thrown their support behind him.
But
doubts remained about the Old Etonian's commitment to Brexit, prompted
in part by his late and agonised declaration for the Leave camp and
fuelled by a Telegraph column in which he declared that 'Britain is part
of Europe, and always will be'.
Mr
Johnson's election to City Hall in 2008 and retention of the powerful
position four years later was a clear demonstration of his star quality
at the ballot box, catapulting him into the front rank of contenders for
the Tory leadership.
Despite
achieving only minor shadow cabinet experience during his first stint
in Parliament, his distinctive shock of blond hair, idiosyncratic
speaking style and appearances on TV's Have I Got News for You made him
one of the UK's most recognised politicians.
One
of Parliament's highest-earning MPs, Mr Johnson paid nearly £1 million
in tax over four years, much of his earnings coming from his Daily
Telegraph column and royalties from books.
He
is now almost certain to have to give up the column, which the Commons
register of interests indicates has been making him £266,667. The hit
will be offset by a Cabinet salary of around £141,000 - compared to his
MP pay of £75,000.
