2020 British cabinet reshuffle

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson carried out the first significant reshuffle of his majority government on 13 February 2020. Following the December 2019 general election, there was considerable speculation that Johnson was planning a major reshuffle of the Cabinet, to take place after the United Kingdom's official withdrawal from the European Union on 31 January 2020. There were reports that up to a third of the Cabinet would be dismissed, Whitehall departments abolished and civil servants replaced by policy experts; however, the reshuffle was smaller than expected and no departments were abolished. ^[1] The anticipated reshuffle was nicknamed "The St Valentine's Day Massacre" in the press, due to its proximity to St Valentine's Day, the name being a reference to the 1929 gangland shooting in Chicago. ^{[2] [3]}

Johnson formed his first ministry on 24 July 2019, following his election as Leader of the Conservative Party and subsequent appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ^[4] In September 2019, he carried out small reshuffles in response to the resignations of two Cabinet ministers (Jo Johnson and Amber Rudd). ^{[5] [6]} After the Conservative Party's victory in the 2019 general election, Johnson's only change had been to fill the position left vacant by Alun Cairns' resignation in the previous month. ^[7]

On 13 February 2020, Johnson reshuffled the government. Five Cabinet ministers were sacked, including the Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith, a decision that was criticised by several politicians and commentators following Smith's success in restoring the devolved Northern Ireland Executive under the terms of the New Decade, New Approach agreement. ^[8] Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid resigned from the Cabinet after refusing Johnson's demand that he dismiss his advisers. ^[9]

This was the last major cabinet reshuffle before the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, and was followed by two more reshuffles in 2021 and 2022.

Cabinet-level changes

Colour key
Joined the Cabinet      Left the Cabinet

Minister		Position before reshuffle	Result of reshuffle
	Rt Hon The Baroness Morgan of Cotes PC	Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport	Left the government (intention to stand down announced in January 2020)
	Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP	Minister for the Cabinet Office Paymaster General	Became Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	Rt Hon Michael Gove MP	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster	Given additional role as Minister for the Cabinet Office
	Rt Hon Julian Smith CBE MP	Secretary of State for Northern Ireland	Left the government
	Rt Hon Brandon Lewis CBE MP	Minister of State for Security and Deputy for EU Exit and No Deal Preparation	Became Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
	Rt Hon Esther McVey MP	Minister of State for Housing and Planning	Left the government
	Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP	Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy	Left the government
	Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP	Secretary of State for International Development	Became Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP	Minister of State for the Armed Forces	Became Secretary of State for International Development
	Rt Hon Geoffrey Cox QC MP	Attorney General for England and Wales Advocate General for Northern Ireland	Left the government
	Suella Braverman MP	Backbench MP	Became Attorney General for England and Wales and Advocate General for Northern Ireland
	Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP	Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	Left the government
	George Eustice MP	Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food	Became Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP	Chancellor of the Exchequer	Resigned after refusing to dismiss his advisers
	Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP	Chief Secretary to the Treasury	Became Chancellor of the Exchequer
	Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP	Backbench MP, previously Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union until January 31 2020	Became Chief Secretary to the Treasury
	Rt Hon James Cleverly TD VR MP	Minister without Portfolio (Chairman of the Conservative Party) [note 1]	Left the Cabinet; became Minister of State for the Middle East & North Africa and International Development
	Amanda Milling MP	Deputy Chief Government Whip Treasurer of the Household	Became Minister without Portfolio (and Chairman of the Conservative Party) [note 1]
	Rt Hon Jake Berry MP	Minister of State for the Northern Powerhouse	Resigned after refusing a new position at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office [10]

Junior ministerial changes

Colour key
Promoted [note 2]      Left the government

Minister		Position before reshuffle	Result of reshuffle
	Rt Hon Chris Skidmore FRHistS FSA FRSA MP	Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation	Left the government
	Michelle Donelan MP	Backbencher	Became Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation
	George Freeman MP	Minister of State for Transport	Left the government
	Andrew Stephenson MP	Minister of State for Africa and International Development	Became Minister of State for Transport
	Nigel Adams MP	Minister of State for Sport, Media & Creative Industries	Became Minister of State for Africa and International Development
	Caroline Dinenage MP	Minister of State for Social Care	Became Minister of State for Sport, Media & Creative Industries
	Helen Whately MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Arts, Heritage and Tourism	Became Minister of State for Social Care
	Nigel Huddleston MP	Backbencher	Became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Arts, Heritage and Tourism
	Rt Hon John Whittingdale OBE MP	Backbencher	Became Minister of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	Nus Ghani MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport	Left the government
	Kelly Tolhurst MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy	Became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
	Paul Scully MP	Backbencher	Became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Minister for London
	Chris Philp MP	Minister for London	Became Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Home Affairs
	James Heappey MP	Backbencher	Became Minister of State for the Armed Forces
	Rt Hon Dr Andrew Murrison MP	Minister of State for International Development and the Middle East	Left the government
	Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP	Backbencher	Became Paymaster General
	Rt Hon Christopher Pincher MP	Minister of State for Europe and the Americas	Became Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
	Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP	Backbencher	Became Minister of State for Security
	Jeremy Quin MP	Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office	Became Minister for Defence Procurement
	Julia Lopez MP	Backbencher	Became Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office
	Chloe Smith MP	Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office	Became Minister of State for the Cabinet Office
	Robin Walker MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland	Became Minister of State for Northern Ireland
	Heather Wheeler MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs	Left the government
	Wendy Morton MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice	Became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and International Development as Minister for European Neighbourhood and the Americas
	James Duddridge MP	Backbencher	Became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and International Development
	Alex Chalk MP	Backbencher	Became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice
	Victoria Prentis MP	Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Leader of the House of Commons	Became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	Amanda Solloway MP	Backbencher	Became Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Science, Research and Innovation
	Paul Maynard MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport	Left the government
	Rachel Maclean MP	Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer	Became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
	Gillian Keegan MP	Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care	Became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education
	Simon Clarke MP	Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury	Became Minister of State for the Northern Powerhouse
	Kemi Badenoch MP	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families	Became Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade
	Vicky Ford MP	Backbencher	Became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families
	Kit Malthouse MP	Minister of State for Crime, Policing and the Fire Service	Given additional position as Minister of State for Justice
	The Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park	Minister of State for the Environment	Given additional position as Minister of State for Pacific
	The Lord Agnew of Oulton	Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the School System	Became Minister of State for Efficiency and Transformation [11]
	The Lord True	Backbench Peer	Became Minister of State for European Union Relations and Constitutional Policy

Whips' Office appointments

Whip		Previous position	New position
	Stuart Andrew MP	Vice-Chamberlain of the Household	Deputy Chief Government Whip Treasurer of the Household
	Marcus Jones MP	Assistant Government Whip	Vice-Chamberlain of the Household
	James Morris MP		Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
	Michael Tomlinson MP	Backbencher
	Alex Chalk MP		Assistant Government Whip
	Eddie Hughes MP
	The Viscount Younger of Leckie		Lord-in-waiting Government Whip
	The Baroness Scott of Bybrook		Baroness-in-Waiting Government Whip

Reaction

Dismissal of Julian Smith

Smith (left) and Johnson (right) visit Northern Ireland in July 2019

The decision to dismiss Julian Smith as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was criticised by a number of prominent political figures in Northern Ireland, including SDLP leader Colum Eastwood who described the move as showing "dangerous indifference" by the Prime Minister. ^[12] Smith had been widely seen as instrumental in securing a cross-party deal to restore the Northern Ireland Executive, the New Decade, New Approach agreement, after three years without a devolved government in Stormont. ^{[13] [8]} Tributes to Smith's tenure as Northern Ireland Secretary were paid by NI First Minister Arlene Foster and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Both praised him for his role in ending the political deadlock in the country. ^{[14] [15]}

Many political commentators expressed their surprise at Smith's dismissal, given his perceived success during his time as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Some suggested that Smith's testimony to the Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee in October 2019, in which he described a potential no-deal Brexit as being "a very, very bad idea for Northern Ireland", ^[16] had influenced the decision to remove him from his position. ^[17] Stephen Bush, political editor of the New Statesman , speculated that the consequence of Johnson's removal of Smith would be the destabilisation of the new power-sharing agreement and increased difficulty in negotiating the details of the "New Protocol". ^[18]

Resignation of Sajid Javid

Javid with Gladstone, Chief Mouser to HM Treasury

Tensions between 10 Downing Street and the Treasury had come to a head in August 2019, when the Prime Minister's Chief Special Adviser Dominic Cummings dismissed one of Chancellor Sajid Javid's aides, Sonia Khan, without Javid's permission and without informing him. It was alleged that, during her dismissal, Cummings "went outside No 10 and asked an armed officer to enter the building and escort Khan off the premises." ^[19] In November 2019, following questions of a rift between the two men, Johnson gave his assurance that he would retain Javid as Chancellor after the 2019 general election. ^[20]

However, in the weeks leading up to the reshuffle, a number of briefings in the press had suggested that a new economic ministry led by Rishi Sunak might be established, to reduce the power and political influence of the Treasury. Sunak was considered to be a Johnson loyalist, seen as the "rising star" minister who had ably represented the Prime Minister during the 2019 election debates. ^{[21] [22]} By February 2020, it was reported that Javid would remain in his role as Chancellor and that Sunak would stay on as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, in order to "keep an eye" on Javid. ^[23]

On 13 February 2020, the day of the reshuffle, Javid resigned as Chancellor of the Exchequer, following a meeting with the Prime Minister. During the meeting, Johnson had offered to allow Javid to keep his position on the condition that he dismiss all his advisers at the Treasury and replace them with ones selected by 10 Downing Street. ^[9] Upon resigning, Javid told the Press Association that "no self-respecting minister would accept those terms". ^{[24] [25]}

The Chancellor's resignation had been unexpected, given Johnson's commitment to keep him in the Cabinet and recent reports that a rival finance ministry would not be created. Robert Shrimsley, chief political commentator of the Financial Times, warned that the Prime Minister's handling of his relationship with Javid could damage the government. He argued that "good government often depends on senior ministers – and the chancellor in particular – being able to fight bad ideas. Mr Johnson's cabinet has just seen the price of defiance". ^[26]

See also

• 2021 British cabinet reshuffle
• Second Johnson ministry
• Premiership of Boris Johnson
• List of departures from the second Johnson ministry
• 2020 in politics and government

Notes

1. Non-ministerial position
2. According to the ministerial pay scale:
   Parliamentary Private Secretary < Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State < Minister of State

References

1. Shipman, Tim (15 December 2019). "Now for the Boris Johnson revolution — PM to wield axe in radical cabinet reshuffle". The Times.
2. Balls, Katy (13 January 2020). "The strategy behind Boris Johnson's incoming government shake-up". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 17 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
3. Tominey, Camilla (5 February 2020). "Will Boris Johnson's post-Brexit reshuffle be a Valentine's Day massacre?". Daily Telegraph.
4. "Boris Johnson becomes UK's new prime minister". BBC News. 24 July 2019.
5. Havergal, Chris (10 September 2019). "Chris Skidmore returns as universities minister in UK government". Times Higher Education.
6. "Therese Coffey replaces Amber Rudd in cabinet after dramatic resignation". ITV News. 8 September 2019.
7. "Simon Hart appointed new Welsh secretary". BBC News. 16 December 2019.
8. Walker, Peter (13 February 2020). "Smith, Leadsom and McVey out as Johnson reshuffles cabinet". The Guardian.
9. "Cabinet reshuffle: Sajid Javid resigns as chancellor". BBC News. 13 February 2020.
10. Schofield, Kevin (25 February 2020). "Boris Johnson ally quits government after turning down Foreign Office job". Politics Home. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
11. Jointly with HM Treasury
12. "Julian Smith sacked as NI Secretary by Boris Johnson". BBC News. 13 February 2020.
13. Elliott, Francis; Swinford, Steven (13 February 2020). "Boris Johnson fires Julian Smith, minister who secured Stormont deal". The Times.
14. Edwards, Mark (13 February 2020). "Julian Smith sacked from Northern Ireland post in Boris Johnson's Cabinet reshuffle". Belfast Telegraph.
15. Leo Varadkar [@LeoVaradkar] (13 February 2020). "In 8 months as Secretary of State, Julian you helped to restore powersharing in Stormont, secured an agreement with us to avoid a hard border, plus marriage equality. You are one of Britain's finest politicians of our time. Thank you" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
16. Mairs, Nicholas (23 October 2019). "Julian Smith breaks ranks with Boris Johnson to brand no-deal Brexit 'very bad' for Northern Ireland". PoliticsHome.
17. Forrest, Adam (13 February 2020). "Boris Johnson news – live: PM axes Tory minister who helped secure Stormont deal, as fresh questions raised over £15,000 Caribbean holiday" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020.
18. Bush, Stephen (13 February 2020). "Boris Johnson has already made the most important sacking of today's reshuffle". New Statesman.
19. Helm, Toby; Townsend,Mark (1 September 2019). "PM 'must launch urgent inquiry into Dominic Cummings's reign of terror'". The Guardian.
20. Parker, George; Payne, Sebastian (18 November 2019). "Boris Johnson vows to retain Sajid Javid as chancellor". Financial Times.
21. Parker, George (25 December 2019). "Johnson's 'favourite minister' tipped to run super-ministry". Financial Times.
22. Balls, Katy (13 February 2020). "Is Sajid Javid at war with No. 10?". The Spectator. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
23. Mason, Rowena (5 February 2020). "Ministers jostle as Johnson plans long-awaited reshuffle". The Guardian.
24. Mason, Rowena (13 February 2020). "Sajid Javid resigns as chancellor amid Johnson reshuffle". The Guardian.
25. "Sajid Javid quits as British Chancellor". RTÉ. 13 February 2020.
26. Shrimsley, Robert (13 February 2020). "Johnson has backed Cummings over his chancellor — and there will be a cost". Financial Times.