Cabinet reshuffle - as it happened: Theresa May hails new generation of 'gifted' ministers as she finishes day two of shakeup

If Suella Fernandes replaces Brexit minister Robin Walker, she will join her former ERG colleague Steve Baker at the department.

This will shift the balance of their team, as both are supporters of a hard Brexit.

There were not many new faces at Theresa May's Cabinet table this morning after yesterday's reshuffle veered off course.

Sam Lister from the Press Association has taken a look at the key challenges facing the few given new roles.

:: Esther McVey

From the political wilderness to the Cabinet in less than a year, Ms McVey's appointment as Work and Pensions Secretary marks a swift comeback.

Before voters kicked her out at the 2015 election, the MP, who returned to Parliament in last year's snap poll, attended Cabinet as a minister in the department she now runs, so is familiar with the brief.

But she now faces the politically toxic task of completing the roll out of the new universal credit benefits system. Tory Heidi Allen was reduced to tears in the Commons after hearing reports of constituents being left in dire circumstances as the changes are introduced.

:: David Gauke

The new Justice Secretary takes over the department as it battles to restore public faith in the legal system following the release of notorious sex attacker John Worboys.

Just 24 hours after taking on the role, Mr Gauke appeared before MPs to say a review of the procedures and transparency of the Parole Board would report back before Easter.

But longer term, tackling surging levels of violence and drug use in prisons across England and Wales will be a top priority for the former solicitor.

:: Damian Hinds

Theresa May put improving social mobility front and centre of her premiership when she entered No 10 but the mission has floundered.

The PM will hope that Mr Hinds, a former chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Social Mobility, is the man to put it back on track.

Mr Hinds also faces the tricky task of reviewing university funding and student financing after tuition fees hit the Tories hard at the ballot box.

School funding will also be a pressing issue in his in-tray as teachers and unions continue to warn that budgets are stretched to breaking point.

Some reaction to the news that Suella Fernandes has been appointed to DExEU as a parliamentary under secretary.

Eloise Todd, the CEO of Best for Britain, a pro-EU campaign group, said: “This is a terrible day when the latest chair of shadowy European Reform Group is made a Brexit minister.  

"Brexit is a far right construct of people that first held the Conservative party hostage, then the Cameron government, now the entire country including May and her cronies

”There is a hard right nasty agenda behind this: a fully deregulated economy that doesn’t protect the most vulnerable in society Theresa May has enabled the nasty party to come back, its vehicle is Brexit.“

From ITV's Paul Brand

Shailesh Vara MP has been appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Northern Ireland Office - Downing Street confirms. He became an MP for North West Cambridgeshire at 2017 election 

As she puts the finishing touches on her reshuffle, Theresa May said:

“This Government is about building a country fit for the future – one that truly works for everyone with a stronger economy and a fairer society. 

“This reshuffle helps us do just that by bringing fresh talent into Government, boosting delivery in key policy areas like housing, health and social care, and ensuring the Government looks more like the country it serves.

“It also allows a new generation of gifted Ministers to step up and make life better for people across the whole UK.”