GAVIN Williamson has been sacked as education secretary after months of calls for his removal as Boris Johnson carried out a Cabinet reshuffle that also brought about the exit of Robert Buckland as justice secretary.
The Prime Minister was carrying out a long-awaited shake-up of his top team on Wednesday afternoon, with plans to put in place a "strong and united" Cabinet following the turbulence of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Williamson was one of the ministers deemed most at risk of being told to return to the backbenches particularly due to his handling of the exams fiasco during the Covid-10 crisis.
First to go, he confirmed his exit by saying "it has been a privilege to serve as education secretary since 2019", adding that he will continue to support the Prime Minister and the Government.
His message was suggestive that he was not being offered another role as a frontbencher, but there has been no confirmation of whether he would be moved to another role.