Boris Johnson set to give Michael Gove plum job as sacked Cabinet ministers are in line for return
BORIS Johnson will bury the hatchet with Michael Gove this week — by handing him a plum role in his first Cabinet.
The PM-in-waiting is keen to show he has forgiven his former comrade’s treachery.
The pair were barely speaking after Mr Gove scuppered his Brexit pal’s last leadership bid in 2016.
But BoJo is willing to let bygones be bygones and preparing to give the Environment Secretary a step up the ministerial ladder.
Mr Gove’s allies had feared Mr Johnson would axe him from the Cabinet but it emerged he will hold out an olive branch.
A source said: “If Boris is elected leader his first task will be to build a team using the best available talent and Michael is a man of outstanding ability. It won’t be
wasted.”
Mr Johnson, who is the hot favourite to be chosen as party leader on Tuesday, could oust up to 15 Cabinet ministers. Their departure will mean a comeback for ministers forced out for failing to back Theresa May’s hated Brexit deal, and a first step into government for Tory rising stars.
Mr Johnson will bring more women back into the fold and appoint the highest number of ethnic minority ministers.
Priti Patel and Nicky Morgan, both sacked from the Cabinet by Mrs May, are in the running for a return to the front benches.
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Home Secretary Sajid Javid is favourite to become Chancellor, replacing Philip Hammond who is top of the chop list.
Mr Johnson is desperate to stop the Treasury being a Project Fear propaganda HQ and will insist his appointment gets a grip.
Liz Truss, who is also widely tipped for the job, is fully behind the drive to deliver Brexit and will face down resistant officials.
Brexiteers Dominic Raab, Esther McVey and Andrea Leadsom, who all quit over the May deal, are also expected to return.
An ally said: “Boris will have to hit the ground running.
“From the moment he sees the Queen on Wednesday he’ll be working flat-out to build a team that will get straight to work.
“There will be no time to waste with just 100 days until the Brexit deadline.” Several new faces will grace the front benches in a government of great diversity.
Brexit minister James Cleverly, who backed Mr Johnson after a brief leadership bid of his own, may be party chairman.
Others lined up for promotion are employment minister Alok Sharma and Rishi Sunak, a junior local government minister.
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Mr Johnson will demand his appointments swear loyalty, commitment and determination to help deliver Brexit by October 31.
He will contact EU partners in Brussels, Paris and Berlin to outline the way forward.
But his inbox will be bulging with other pressing issues — not least the Gulf crisis. Housing, social care and violent street crime are also on his priority list for urgent action.
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