Theresa May starts work as Brexit PM with serial sackings

Theresa May started her first full day in office as UK's new Prime Minister today with a series of sackings after surprising many by naming "Leave" campaigner Boris Johnson as foreign minister against the backdrop of putting Britain's exit from the European Union (EU) in motion.

Indian-origin minister Priti Patel, however, was in for a promotion from her role as employment minister to secretary of state for international development.

The Gujarati-origin Conservative party MP for Witham joins May's front-line Cabinet team alongside Leave campaigner Boris Johnson as foreign secretary.

The new PM is unlikely to have had much sleep on her first night in Downing Street yesterday as after she had unveiled some of the main Cabinet posts it was time to take calls from European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French president Francois Hollande and Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

"On all the phone calls, the Prime Minister emphasised her commitment to delivering the will of the British people to leave the European Union. The Prime Minister explained that we would need some time to prepare for these negotiations and spoke of her hope that these could be conducted in a constructive and positive spirit," a Downing Street spokesperson said today.

UK justice secretary Michael Gove, who had challenged May in the Conservative party leadership race, was among the first sackings announced earlier today from the post he held under former prime minister David Cameron's Cabinet.

He has been replaced by Liz Truss, a former environment minister and one of the many female faces expected to occupy May's top team.

Education secretary Nicky Morgan, culture secretary John Whittingdale and Cabinet Office minister Oliver Letwin are among the other Cameron aides to be dropped from the frontline and pushed to the party’s backbenches.

UK health secretary Jeremy Hunt, at the centre of the ongoing crisis and strikes by junior doctors over new controversial contracts, was expected to be shunted out to a different role but has held on to his department for now.

While Michael Fallon marked the only status quo Cabinet move by retaining the defence secretary’s job, the biggest surprise came as former London Johnson was announced as the new foreign secretary.

The star Brexit campaigner said he was "humbled" having been named new foreign minister and is expected to work closely with India in his role that covers the Commonwealth countries, alongside newly-appointed international trade minister Liam Fox.

Some of the other major Cabinet portfolios announced today include the post of secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs for Andrea Leadsom, who had stepped down from fighting May for the post of PM speeding up the process of Cameron's exit from Downing Street.

Education secretary Justine Greening and Karen Bradley as new culture, media and sport secretary complete the female line-up of major Cabinet posts.

Other key appointments include Northern Ireland secretary James Brokenshire, transport secretary Chris Grayling – who had served as May's campaign chief, and Pakistani-origin minister Sajid Javid as minister for communities and local government.

His previous business department has been revamped into Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with Greg Clark as the minister in charge.

Stephen Crabb, the work and pensions secretary and one of the contenders for May's job, said he had resigned from the government "in the best interests of my family".

This came in the wake of a story in ‘The Times’ in which it was revealed that Crabb, who is married, had sent sexually explicit social media messages to a young woman. His portfolio has been taken over by Damien Green.

In a clear indication that she intends to carve out a brand new path in government, May had announced her first big shake-up just minutes after entering Downing Street on Wednesday evening by replacing George Osborne as UK Chancellor with Philip Hammond.

Former energy and climate change secretary Amber Rudd has been promoted in May's new Cabinet as home secretary, the portfolio previously held by May herself, with Eurosceptic David Davis being made in charge of a brand new department for Exiting the European Union and being dubbed "Brexit minister".

"We are living through an important moment in our country’s history. Following the referendum, we face a time of great national change. And I know because we're Great Britain, that we will rise to the challenge," May had said in her first statement as PM last evening.

Acknowledging the biggest challenge awaiting in her in-tray, she added: "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 a privileged few, but for every one of us."

Davis, the newly-appointed minister in charge of the UK's exit from the EU, has indicated that Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - which triggers the formal two-year timeline for the exit negotiations - will be triggered by the end of this year.

A steady flow of potential new ministers poured into Downing Street since Thursday morning with all key Cabinet posts finalised during the course of the day.

A host of junior ministers now wait to find out their future in the new government in the coming days.