PM may show the door to cabinet ministers in today's reshuffle
Two ministers who may be vulnerable are setting out why they should continue to serve in Boris Johnson's government.
Thursday 13 February 2020 15:34, UK
Boris Johnson will seek to promote more female MPs as he reshuffles the cabinet today - but ministers who fear for their jobs are said to be bracing themselves for the "brutal" process.
The prime minister will look to "promote a generation of talent that will be promoted further in the coming years", according to a No 10 source.
Female MPs in line for promotion include defence minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan, former Brexit minister Suella Braverman and Gillian Keegan.
Alok Sharma is expected to be promoted from his cabinet post at International Development, while Paymaster General Oliver Dowden - who attends cabinet - is also in line for a bigger role.
Baroness Morgan has already said she intends to leave her role as culture secretary, and Andrea Leadsom and Theresa Villiers are seen as likely to lose cabinet positions.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox are also thought to be vulnerable - and they have been setting out why they should stay in their posts.
Acknowledging it is down to the prime minister to decide who he wants to serve in his cabinet, Mr Wallace said: "I have been in this game long enough to know that British Cabinet reshuffles are brutal.
"I enjoy the job as defence secretary, I'm a veteran, I'm a northern MP, I was actually in the Army, so I think all of those hopefully qualify me, but who knows."
Mr Cox said he would eagerly embrace any opportunity to continue in his role but insisted "there are other doorways that will open" if he is ejected from the cabinet.
"Have I had enough of the job? Let me make plain: absolutely not. This has been one of the greatest, in fact the greatest honour of my professional life," he added.
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Chancellor Sajid Javid, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab are expected to remain, while Downing Street has confirmed that Grant Shapps will stay as transport secretary.
A No 10 source said: "The prime minister wants this reshuffle to set the foundations for government now and in the future.
"He wants to promote a generation of talent that will be promoted further in the coming years.
"He will reward those MPs who have worked hard to deliver on this government's priorities to level up the whole country and deliver the change people voted for last year."
The most junior ministerial rank - parliamentary under-secretary of state level - is likely to have a 50-50 gender split after the reshuffle.
By the summer, Mr Johnson also aims to ensure that at least 60% of ministerial aides - the parliamentary private secretaries - will be women, up from the current 18%.