Penny Mordaunt has been appointed as minister of state at the Department for International Trade after Boris Johnson reshuffled the main cabinet positions yesterday.

Michael Ellis will take on Ms Mordaunt’s former role as paymaster general at the Cabinet Office.

One of the top changes saw Liz Truss getting the foreign secretary brief, bumping out Dominic Raab to become justice secretary after he was heavily criticised for being on holiday as the Taliban took Afghanistan.

Her promotion from international trade secretary – taken over by Anne-Marie Trevelyan – means two of the top four jobs are now held by women after Priti Patel kept her home secretary role.

The reshuffle also saw Gavin Williamson lose his job as education secretary after overseeing the exams fiasco during the pandemic as he was replaced by vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi.

Leading Tory MP Michael Gove has been tasked with housing, communities and local government, pushing Robert Jenrick onto the backbenches.

Party co-chair Amanda Milling was also ousted just weeks before the Conservative Party’s annual conference, as was Robert Buckland from his justice secretary role.

Stephen Barclay has taken Mr Gove’s role as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Cabinet Office minister.

And bestselling author and former I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! star Nadine Dorries was promoted to culture secretary, moving Oliver Dowden to Conservative Party co-chair and cabinet minister without portfolio.