UK Prime Minister Johnson Conducts Major Cabinet Reshuffle... Two Female Ministers Appointed to 'Top 4' Key Positions

The Second Female Foreign Minister in History... Number of Female Ministers Rises to Seven
Guardian Criticizes "Cabinet Gender Imbalance Remains"
Former Foreign Minister Raab Demoted Due to Poor Response to Afghanistan Crisis

Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has carried out a large-scale cabinet reshuffle. This reshuffle saw the appointment of the second female Foreign Secretary in British history, and two women now hold key government positions among the 'Top 4,' drawing attention.

On the 15th (local time), according to BBC, The Guardian, and others, Prime Minister Johnson conducted his third cabinet reshuffle since taking office.

With this reshuffle, female minister Liz Truss, the International Trade Secretary, was promoted to Foreign Secretary, securing a position among the 'Top 4' key posts.

The 'Top 4' of the British government’s core cabinet typically refers to the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary, and Foreign Secretary.

Liz Truss, UK Foreign Secretary
Photo by EPA Yonhap News

Thus, Minister Truss became the second female Foreign Secretary in history, following Margaret Beckett during former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s administration.

With this, along with the retained Home Secretary Priti Patel, two women now occupy positions in the 'Top 4.' The other two are Prime Minister Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.

Minister Truss has achieved success in post-Brexit trade negotiations with several countries and is reported to be popular within the Conservative Party. She previously served as Justice Secretary and Environment Secretary during former Prime Minister Theresa May’s tenure. She has also been a close ally of Johnson since the early stages of his leadership campaign, often described as Johnson’s 'right-hand person.'

The Guardian noted, "With this reshuffle, the number of female ministers in Johnson’s cabinet increased from six to seven," but also pointed out that "(given the total cabinet size exceeds 20 members) this did not significantly help resolve gender imbalance."

Another notable aspect of this reshuffle is the large number of dismissals and replacements.

First, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, who was widely expected to be dismissed, was indeed removed. He had been criticized for inadequate handling of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In particular, the UK was unable to hold the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and A-level exams, which are equivalent to South Korea’s College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), last year and this year. The government’s indecision over alternative exam methods caused significant confusion.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick, and Conservative Party co-chair Amanda Milling were also dismissed.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is moving to the position of Justice Secretary. Although he was given the title of Deputy Prime Minister as a courtesy, this is effectively a demotion.

Dominic Raab, former UK Foreign Secretary [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

He was heavily criticized for failing to anticipate the Afghanistan crisis and for not returning promptly from vacation despite the Taliban’s advance on Kabul.

Michael Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, will move to Housing Secretary and take charge of Prime Minister Johnson’s key policy projects.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden will become Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and Deputy Health Secretary Nadine Dorries will be promoted to Culture Secretary.

Vaccines Minister Nadim Zahawi will take over as Education Secretary.

A Conservative Party insider described this reshuffle as "similar to the large-scale purge Margaret Thatcher carried out against 'opponents' within the party in 1981," adding, "Johnson has shown that anyone can be dismissed after this reshuffle."

A close aide to Johnson emphasized in an interview with The Guardian that "the only criteria for this reshuffle were loyalty and public approval."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.