- Boris Johnson has held his first meeting of his new-look Cabinet after bloodbath of Theresa May’s ministers
- The incoming PM culled nearly two-thirds of predecessor’s team as he created a new Brexiteer group
- Many of the Vote Leave 2016 referendum team have been installed as top ranking ministers or advisers
- Mr Johnson told ministers they were all committed to leaving the EU on October 31 or earlier – ‘no ifs, no buts’
Boris Johnson today warned his new-look ‘Brexit Cabinet’ that Britain is at a ‘pivotal moment’ – and vowed that the country will leave the EU by the end of October ‘or earlier’.
The incoming PM gathered his team in No10 for the first time this morning after staging an unprecedented bloodbath of Theresa May‘s government, stripping out 17 of her ministers to create a group willing to go through with No Deal.
Opening the meeting, Mr Johnson told the senior Tories they represented the ‘depth and breadth of talent in our extraordinary party’.
‘As you all know we have a momentous task ahead of us, at a pivotal moment in our country’s history,’ he said.
‘We are now committed, all of us, to leaving the European Union on October 31 or indeed earlier – no ifs, no buts.
‘But we are not going to wait until October 31 to get on with a fantastic new agenda for our country, and that means delivering the priorities of the people.’
The Prime Minister’s 33-strong Cabinet is the largest since Gordon Brown’s in 2008.
Mr Johnson’s attempt to stamp his authority on his new government saw him draft in a swathe of key players from the 2016 Vote Leave referendum campaign as advisers – including maverick chief Dominic Cummings.