JAKARTA - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reshuffled his senior ministers on Wednesday, appointing his party's first female foreign minister, as he urged his government to continue work on tackling economic inequality in the wake of COVID-19.
Ending regional inequality was key to the agenda set in 2019 when Boris Johnson won the Conservative Party's largest parliamentary majority since Margaret Thatcher. However, these conditions were eclipsed by COVID-19 and headlines about the ministry's blunder.
Secretary of State Dominic Raab was removed from office, replaced by Commerce Secretary Liz Truss, underscoring the reasons behind the reshuffle, removing those whose mistakes have hit the government and promoting those who have avoided the crisis.
"The cabinet I appointed today will work tirelessly to unify and raise the level of the whole country. We will rebuild better from the pandemic and meet your priorities," PM Boris Johnson said on Twitter.
"Now let's get on with the work," continued PM Johnson.
Liz Truss is credited with successfully leading the Department of Commerce, where she has completed a number of trade deals, since Britain left the European Union. She is the second woman to serve as secretary of state, after Margaret Beckett, who held the post from 2006-2007 in the Labor government.
As his successor in the position of Minister of Commerce, PM Johnson removed Anne-Marie Trevelyan who previously served as Minister of Climate.
There is also Raab who faces calls to resign, following his presence in Crete, Greece for vacation during the Taliban aggression and the seizure of Kabul, was demoted as Minister of Justice.
To soften the blow, Raab was also appointed deputy prime minister, a role he played to lead the UK government, as PM Johnson battled COVID-19 last year.
In contrast to Raab, two other senior ministers, Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and Brexit Minister David Prost remained in their positions. In addition, three ministers were removed from their posts.
Robert Buckland was removed from his position as Secretary of Justice, though without any errors or criticism of decision-making, his position was replaced by Raab. Meanwhile, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has come under fire for his role in the £1 billion construction proposed by Conservative Party donors, being replaced by Michael Gove.
Just like Raab, Gove also experienced a decline in status, having previously served as a senior minister in the cabinet after the Prime Minister. His position in the post was replaced by former Brexit minister Stephen Barclay.
Education Minister Gavil Williamson, who was criticized for his handling of school closures and exams during the COVID-19 pandemic, was replaced by Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi who got a promotion.
Some Conservative MPs called the cabinet reshuffle plan long overdue. Although, there are also those who call this reshuffle to help him realize a tax increase plan to overcome the crisis in health and social care.
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