New housing minister and communities secretary as Johnson takes office

Mr Jenrick, MP for Newark, has junior ministerial experience but has not served in the cabinet before. In January last year, he was appointed exchequer secretary to the Treasury by prime minister Theresa May.

Prior to that, he served as a parliamentary private secretary to Amber Rudd and Michael Gove. He has also served on the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee.

Ms McVey, a former businesswoman and television presenter, is the MP for Tatton. She is a former minister for employment and deputy chief whip.

In November she resigned from her role as work and pensions secretary, in opposition to the draft European Union withdrawal agreement.

Last July, Ms McVey made an apology to parliament after public spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) accused her of having made an inaccurate statement when answering parliamentary questions regarding a report it had prepared.

Ms McVey said: “I mistakenly said that the NAO had asked for the roll-out of Universal Credit to continue at a faster rate and to be speeded up.

“In fact the NAO did not say that, Mr Speaker, and I want to apologise to you and the House for inadvertently misleading you.”

In his first speech in Downing Street as prime minister yesterday, Mr Johnson confirmed his plans to bring the UK out of the European Union on October 31, including under the “remote possibility that Brussels refuses any further to negotiate, and we are forced to come out with no deal”.

He also referred to efforts the government would make under his leadership to bring “fantastic new road and rail infrastructure” and to “close the opportunity gap, giving millions of young people the chance to own their own home”.