MPs fear Theresa May planning landslide Cabinet shake-up if Conservatives win big in General Election
The Prime Minister is reportedly working on a hit list which could see high profile Tories including Boris Johnson and Liz Truss axed from top jobs
THERESA May is sharpening her blade for a post-election reshuffle — and a big win will mean more heads rolling.
Ministers fear a huge majority will give the PM strength to wield the axe at will to bolster her powerbase.
Mrs May is working on a hit list of Cabinet members she plans to ditch or move.
Justice Secretary Liz Truss and Communities Secretary Sajid Javid are in the firing line, according to well-placed sources.
A landslide victory on June 8 could sweep away bigger beasts — astonishingly, even Boris Johnson.
The Foreign Secretary’s fellow Brexiteer Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary, would also be vulnerable.
Some Cabinet ministers privately fear the PM would be emboldened enough to do the unthinkable and chop them both.
Mrs May is said to be growing impatient with Ms Truss over the ongoing crisis in prisons.
She is frustrated at slow progress by Mr Javid in providing more affordable homes, an issue proving increasingly fruitful for Labour.
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Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom, who challenged Mrs May for the leadership, is also in her sights.
Ms Leadsom made clear when she ran for the top job that she would like the ban on foxhunting to be repealed and once hinted that EU farm subsidies should be completely phased out.
An insider said: “Like any well-oiled machine, a Cabinet can always benefit from a bit of fine tuning and, should we win, the opportunity will arise.
“In order to make things run a little more smoothly, it may be necessary to move two or three into different roles, or away from the top table altogether.
“It’s also healthy to bring in some fresh talent to build for the future.”
Some ministers privately fear Mrs May will be far more brutal if she gets a bigger majority. It will mean she has to tread less carefully to placate different cliques and factions within the party.
A margin of 40 to 60 seats could mean the exit door is opened for Education Secretary Justine Greening, who has the tricky job of delivering the PM’s flagship grammar schools revival.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and Health supremo Jeremy Hunt could also be at risk.
One Cabinet minister said: “A massive majority could be just as dangerous as a slender one. If we win by 150 seats, and that’s not out of the question, nobody will be safe.
"There is a feeling some ministers were put in place to keep the hardline Brexit wing of the party onside.
“If the Prime Minister were to win by a landslide, she’d no longer have to think about any sensitivities or who she upsets and she won’t have to think twice about who she sacks.”
The PM has new blood waiting in the wings. Policing minister Brandon Lewis heads the queue, having successfully tackled different roles at junior ministerial level.
Dominic Raab, who left government in Mrs May’s first reshuffle last July, is tipped for a high-profile comeback.
He has impressed her with some “sterling work” defending the Government from the back benches since he left his junior minister’s post at the Ministry of Justice.
Allies say Mrs May will not be influenced by personal friendship, or having the required number of women in top jobs, when she reshapes her team.
A No10 source said last night she has “zero appetite” for anything other than minor tinkering but that has not stopped fears sweeping the Cabinet.
ELECTION UPDATES
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