Reshuffle live: Greening quits, Bradley becomes Northern Ireland Secretary, Hunt and Leadsom stay

Theresa May has kicked off 2017 with a reshuffle of her cabinet.
Justine Greening, formerly education secretary, has quit after being offered the Department for Work and Pensions, according to reports.
Most of the big names — including David Davis, Philip Hammond, Boris Johnson, Amber Rudd, Sajid Javid and Greg Clark — retained their positions.
Jeremy Hunt kept his job to become the longest-serving Health Secretary ever.
Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire resigns due to ill health, replaced by Karen Bradley.
Chris Grayling

LONDON — Theresa May has suffered a shock resignation of a leading government ally as she reshuffled her Cabinet — but by and large, the heavy-hitters in the Prime Minister's government have remained in place.

The Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire stood down due to ill health, as the prime minister prepared to reappoint her top team, a government spokesperson confirmed on Monday morning. He has been replaced by Karen Bradley, formerly the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. (Matt Hancock has been apponted to Bradley's old role.)

Justine Greening, formerly education secretary, has quit government after being offered the Department of Work and Pensions, according to multiple reports, replaced by Damien Hinds. Instead, Esther McVey becomes Work and Pensions Secretary.

Other senior figures moved in the reshuffle included Patrick McLouglin, who was replaced as party chairman by the former immigration minister Brandon Lewis.

David Lidington was also moved from Justice Secretary to become the new Minister of State for the Cabinet office — replaced by David Gauke, previously

Lidington repalces Damian Green as May's de facto deputy, and will stand in for her at Prime Minister's Questions but without taking the title of First Secretary. Green was sacked by the prime minister last year after making a misleading claiming about pornography found on his parliamentary computer in 2008.

In a letter to the prime minister, Brokenshire said he had a small lesion on the lung which required surgery. "Clearly my long-term health and my family are my priorities," he wrote.

James Brokenshire reveals h... @ Paul Waugh

May thanked him for his service and replied that it was "absolutely right that you should put your health first."

Breaking: the reshuffle's b... @ Tom Newton Dunn

Reshuffle chaos

There was much confusion after the Conservative party announced that the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling had been moved to party chairman, replacing Patrick McLoughlin.

Why have @Conservatives jus... @ Kate Proctor

Further announcements are expected throughout the day, with more junior appointments expected tomorrow.

Reshuffle live: Greening quits, Bradley becomes Northern Ireland Secretary, Hunt and Leadsom stay

Reshuffle chaos

Heres May arriving at Downing Street before the reshuffle

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