New UK PM Boris Johnson conducted a cabinet bloodbath on his first day that saw Theresa May's ministers replaced with loyal, true Brexit believers. It has all the hallmarks of a government readying itself for a general election.
In what was less a 'reshuffle' and more a complete overhaul of a Tory government weighed down by the Brexit debacle, Wednesday saw 17 of 30 ministers either sacked or resign as Johnson stamped his authority on day one.
Also on rt.com BoJo’s cabinet is a free market Taliban unleashedThe new figures taking up some of the most powerful positions in Johnson's Conservative cabinet are ostensibly hardline Brexiteers who are comfortable with the thought of parliament being suspended to ram through a no-deal Brexit.
Johnson has hired the services of Dominic Cummings, the mastermind behind Vote Leave's victory in the 2016 EU referendum, as his chief of staff; and the new prime minister appears to have assembled a team intent on delivering Brexit without a deal if need be.
Priti Patel – Home Secretary
A Vote Leave campaigner who was forced to resign from May's cabinet as international trade secretary after conducting "off-the-books" meetings with the Israeli government while "on holiday" in the Golan Heights.
During an appearance on BBC Question Time in 2010, Patel advocated the return of the death penalty for murderers and rapists, insisting that "I would support the reintroduction of capital punishment to serve as a deterrent."
Before entering parliament, she worked as a lobbyist for a tobacco firm that paid its workers £15 a month, according to the Observer.
Gavin Williamson – Education Secretary
During his previous 18 months in office, Williamson, 43, was loved by the media for the blunt and rather childish statements he made on a regular basis – telling Russia to "go away" and "shut up." Let's hope he can improve his vocabulary while education minister.
He also proposed to put guns on tractors to save money, and threatened to send an aircraft carrier into Chinese waters, which led to the cancellation of a high-profile state visit. Williamson was sacked as defense secretary just under three months ago for allegedly leaking state secrets in the Huawei Chinese high-tech scandal.
Dominic Raab – Foreign Secretary
A hardline Brexiteer who floated the idea of proroguing (suspending) parliament to guarantee the UK's exit from the EU during his ultimately failed Tory leadership campaign.
During his time as Brexit secretary, Raab was mercilessly mocked after revealing that he "hadn't quite understood the full extent" to which Britain was reliant on the Dover-Calais crossing for trade.
In 2011, Raab insisted that "feminists are now amongst the most obnoxious bigots," adding that it was time for men to start "burning their briefs."
In 2017, he claimed that most food bank users were not "languishing in poverty" but were instead having "cash flow" problems, and has branded British workers "the worst idlers in the world."
Jacob Rees-Mogg – Leader of the House
The prominent anti-EU Tory MP, who heads the powerful Brexiteer European Research Group (ERG), was previously tipped to be a Conservative leader of the future and was a constant thorn in former PM May's side.
Some of the posh Etonian's 'greatest hits' of controversies include suggesting all council workers wear bowler hats, speaking to a group that favors voluntary repatriation of black immigrants, and voting against gay marriage, and abortion even in cases of rape and incest.
Johnson's 'Vote Leave' government will be applauded by hardline Brexiteers in parliament and around the UK, but the new PM has a tough task keeping happy all those former ministers relegated to the backbenches.
British MPs break for summer recess on Thursday and return to work on September 3. However, the new prime minister may find his summer vacation plans canceled as Brexit negotiations with Brussels restart.
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