Dominic Raab has been removed as British foreign secretary as Prime Minister Boris Johnson carried out a reshuffle of his cabinet ministers, Downing Street confirmed on Wednesday.
Raab will become justice secretary and also take up the role of deputy prime minister. International Trade Secretary Liz Truss has been appointed as the new foreign secretary.
Raab has been under fire for his handling of Britain’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and his decision to stay on holiday until hours after Kabul’s fall to the Taliban, according to local media.
Raab replaced Robert Buckland who had been removed from the justice secretary post. Buckland tweeted: “It has been an honour to serve in government for the last seven years, and as the Lord Chancellor for the last two. I am deeply proud of everything I have achieved. On to the next adventure.”
Johnson’s reshuffle also brought about the exit of Gavin Williamson as education secretary and Robert Jenrick as housing secretary.
The removal of Williamson from his post came as he was criticized for his handling of disruption to schools and exams during the pandemic, according to local media. Jenrick has faced calls for resignation after he admitted last year his decision to unlawfully approve a controversial property development bid by a Tory donor.
Britain’s last major cabinet reshuffle was in February 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic started and the country went into its first COVID-19 lockdown.
Government sources told local media earlier in the day that Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle aimed to put in place “a strong and united team to build back better from the pandemic.”
The reshuffled would have a focus on “uniting and levelling up the whole country,” the sources added.
