Cabinet reshuffle - as it happened: Theresa May's attempt at show of strength ruined by ministers refusing to be moved
How the Prime Minister's New Year's reshuffle happened
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Your support makes all the difference.Theresa May’s attempts to reassert her authority through a Cabinet reshuffle ran into difficulties after senior ministers refused to move from their jobs.
Education Secretary Justine Greening dramatically quit the Government when Ms May tried to move her to the Department of Work and Pensions, leaving the Prime Minister scrambling to promote junior ministers to her top team.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt also spent more than 90 minutes in Downing Street where he resisted Ms May's attempts to persuade him to switch to Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and allow Business Secretary Greg Clark to take on his role.
Cabinet “big beasts” such as Boris Johnson, Philip Hammond and Amber Rudd all kept their jobs, which led to critics quoting the PM's widely mocked election campaign claim that "nothing has changed" - when she made a major U-turn on a social care pledge.
Earlier, the shake-up descended into chaos when the Conservatives’ official Twitter account accidentally put out that Transport Secretary Chris Grayling would become party chairman – before Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis was officially appointed shortly after.
Former Justice Secretary David Lidington was appointed to replace the PM's close ally Damian Green, who was sacked as the Cabinet Office minister and de facto Prime Minister last month for misleading statements over pornography found on his office computer.
A younger and more diverse team of MPs was appointed to hold various Conservative party posts, although the appointment of pro-life MP Maria Caulfield to a prominent women's role attracted controversy.
Please see the live updates below
Harry Cole from the Sun is reporting that Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire has resigned. We will bring you confirmation from Downing Street as soon as we get it.
Chris Grayling, a loyal ally of the PM and Transport Secretary, tipped as new chair of Tory HQ.
This is from the Times' Patrick Maguire on James Brokenshire's resignation as Northern Ireland Secretary.
Chris Grayling has been confirmed as the new chairman of the Conservative Party by Tory HQ. He is a loyal ally of the Prime Minister and up until today, the Transport Secretary.
The position was confirmed by the official Conservative Party twitter feed - but for some odd reason, has been deleted.
It appears the reshuffle is not off to a good start.
12:44 Chris Grayling was confirmed on the Conservatives official account as party chairman.,
12:45: Tweet deleted. But still being shared by Conservative MPs. Confusion over appointment.
A source close to Mr Grayling told The Independent: “Until he walks into Downing Street nothing is confirmed. Everything else before then is speculation.”
James Cleverly was seen entering Number 10, fuelling speculation that he may land a senior role - which would be a rapid promotion from the backbenches after being elected MP for Braintree in 2015.
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