LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson demoted his top diplomat and fired his education minister in a major government shakeup Wednesday, as he tried to move on from a series of political missteps and revive his promise to “level up” prosperity across the U.K.
Johnson demoted Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who has faced criticism for delaying his return from a holiday in Greece as the Taliban took over Afghanistan last month.
Raab was appointed justice secretary with the title of deputy prime minister. Despite the grand title, that is a demotion — the deputy has no formal constitutional role.
The new foreign minister is ex-International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, a favorite of the Conservative Party’s grassroots who has won praise for her work negotiating trade deals with Australia and Japan since Britain left the European Union last year. Truss, who is Britain’s second female foreign secretary, will also remain minister for women and equalities.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan replaced Truss as minister for international trade.
There were no other changes to the top four Cabinet posts, with Rishi Sunak remaining Treasury chief and Priti Patel staying as Home Secretary. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace also kept his job. He has been praised for his work overseeing the evacuation of thousands of British citizens and their Afghan allies from Kabul last month.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid, who has a key job leading Britain’s pandemic response, also stayed in his post.
Johnson fired Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, who has been criticized for his performance during the pandemic, which has seen long periods of school closures, sudden policy shifts and the cancelation of major exams to get into university two years in a row.
Williamson was replaced by Nadhim Zahawi, who has served as vaccines minister, responsible for inoculating the country against the coronavirus.
Michael Gove, a longtime ally of Johnson, was appointed Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. The department is key to Johnson’s aim of “leveling up” the U.K., spreading prosperity beyond the wealthy south that is the traditional Conservative heartland.
