First Johnson ministry
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
July –December 2019
Johnson holding his first cabinet meeting
Date formed	24 July 2019
Date dissolved	16 December 2019
People and organisations
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Prime Minister's history	Premiership of Boris Johnson
First Secretary	Dominic Raab
Ministers removed	3 resigned
Member party	Conservative Party
Status in legislature	Minority withDUP confidence & supply
Opposition cabinet	Corbyn shadow cabinet
Opposition party	Labour Party
Opposition leader	Jeremy Corbyn
History
Outgoing election	2019 general election
Legislature terms	2017–2019[note 1]
Incoming formation	2019 Conservative leadership election
Predecessor	Second May ministry
Successor	Second Johnson ministry

This article is part of a series about Boris Johnson
Policies Political positions Public image MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP for Henley Electoral history 2008 mayoral election 2012 mayoral election 2016 EU referendum causes aftermath 2019 leadership election polling endorsements 2019 general election 2021 local elections 2022 local elections Mayor of London Mayoralty 2008 mayoral election London Britannia Airport Santander Cycles New Routemaster 2011 riots London Cable Car 2012 Summer Olympics 2012 Summer Paralympics East London Transit Garden Bridge Brexit Vote Leave 2016 explored candidacy Dead cat strategy Foreign Secretary Tenure as Foreign Secretary Yemen intervention Zaghari-Ratcliffe case 2018 Salisbury attack Chequers plan Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Premiership International trips Minister for the Union First ministry and term First ministry (minority) Suspension of rebel MPs Benn Act 2019 prorogation Supreme Court case Brexit deal renegotiation revised deal Get Brexit Done Second ministry and term Second ministry (majority) departures 2020 reshuffle 2021 reshuffle EU Withdrawal Agreement Northern Ireland Protocol EU trade negotiation cooperation agreement COVID-19 pandemic government response lockdown vaccinations contracts contract controversies Dominic Cummings scandal Partygate Evacuations from Afghanistan Levelling up COP26 Refurb controversy Owen Paterson scandal Rwanda asylum plan Murder of David Amess Proposed NI increase British support for Ukraine in the Russian invasion of Ukraine Cost of living crisis Conservative Party confidence vote Chris Pincher scandal Government crisis July 2022 reshuffle leadership election House of Commons confidence vote Resignation Honours Post-premiership 2022 explored candidacy endorsements Privileges Committee investigation 2023 Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election Bibliography Friends, Voters, Countrymen Seventy-Two Virgins The Dream of Rome The Churchill Factor Unleashed In popular culture Greased piglet When Boris Met Dave Spitting Image (2020 TV series) This England "Vossi Bop" "Boris Johnson Is a Fucking Cunt" "Boris Johnson Is Still a Fucking Cunt" "Can't Stop Christmas" Boris: The Rise of Boris Johnson Boris v. Ken Members Only (South Park) DSP (film) Headcases Newzoids Brexit: The Uncivil War Partygate (TV drama)
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Thefirst Johnson ministry began on 24 July 2019 when QueenElizabeth II invitedBoris Johnson to form a new government, following the resignation of the predecessor Prime MinisterTheresa May.^[2] May had resigned asLeader of the Conservative Party on 7 June 2019; Johnson waselected as her successor on 23 July 2019. The Johnson ministry was formed from the57th Parliament of the United Kingdom, as aConservativeminority government. It lost its working majority on 3 September 2019 when Tory MPPhillip Leecrossed the floor to theLiberal Democrats.An election was called for 12 December 2019, which led to the formation of a Conservativemajority government, thesecond Johnson ministry.

Theresa May announced on 24 May 2019 that she would resign asLeader of the Conservative Party and thereforeprime minister, after failing three times to secure passage through theHouse of Commons of herWithdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill, which would have seen theUnited Kingdom leave the European Union. Her announcement also followed theConservative Party's very poor showing in the2019 European Parliament elections in the UK. Her resignation as Conservative leader took effect on 7 June 2019.

The formerLondon Mayor andForeign SecretaryBoris Johnson waselected to succeed May on 23 July 2019. He was appointed prime minister on the following day by QueenElizabeth II. Johnson inherited aminority government, supported by aconfidence and supplyagreement with theDemocratic Unionist Party ofNorthern Ireland.

Johnsonappointed his cabinet on 24 July 2019, describing it as a "Cabinet for modern Britain",^[3] withThe Guardian branding it "an ethnically diverse but ideologically homogeneous statement of intent".^[4] While forming his government, Johnson dismissed 11 senior ministers and accepted the resignation of six others, apurge described by Johnson's allyNigel Evans as "not so much a reshuffle as a summer's day massacre".^[5][6] The mass dismissal was the most extensive Cabinet reorganisation without a change in ruling party in postwar British political history, exceeding the seven Cabinet ministers dismissed in the "Night of the Long Knives" of 1962,^[7] and was dubbed the "Night of the Blond Knives" byThe Sun.^[8]

Among other appointments, Johnson madeDominic Raab theFirst Secretary of State andForeign Secretary, and appointedSajid Javid andPriti Patel asChancellor of the Exchequer andHome Secretary respectively. Johnson increased the number of ministers attending the Cabinet to 33, four more than had attended theMay Cabinet. One quarter of those appointed were women, proportionally less than the May and Cameron ministries. The Cabinet set a new record for ethnic minority representation, with four secretaries of state and two additional ministers coming from minority backgrounds; 17% of the Cabinet were fromBAME backgrounds, compared to 14% of the UK population.^[3] Nearly two-thirds of those appointed went to fee-paying schools, and almost half had attendedOxford or Cambridge universities.^[3] Johnson also created a new ministerial title to be held by himself,Minister for the Union, fulfilling a campaign pledge he had made in the leadership election.^[9]

Loss of majority and ministerial resignations

Johnson lost his working majority on 3 September 2019, whenPhillip Lee crossed the floor to join the Liberal Democrats.^[10][11] This was reduced further later the same day when21 Conservative MPs had the whip removed after voting against the Government in order to enable Parliament to take control of the order paper and to debate a back bench bill designed to prevent a no-deal Brexit.^[12]

On 5 September 2019, Johnson's brother andOrpington MPJo Johnson announced his intention to resign both his ministerial position and parliamentary seat, stating "In recent weeks I've been torn between family loyalty and the national interest — it's an unresolvable tension & time for others to take on my roles as MP & Minister."^[13] On 7 September 2019,Amber Rudd announced she was resigning as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Minister for Women and Equalities, and leaving the Conservative Party.^[14]

Amid an impasse in parliament overBrexit,an election was called for 12 December 2019 by virtue of the passage of theEarly Parliamentary General Election Act 2019 on 31 October 2019. The Conservatives won a majority, leading to the formation of thesecond Johnson ministry on 16 December 2019.

First Johnson cabinet^[15][16]

Portfolio	Portrait	Minister	Term
Cabinet ministers
Prime Minister First Lord of the Treasury Minister for the Civil Service Minister for the Union Commonwealth Chair-in-Office		Boris Johnson	2019–2022
Chancellor of the Exchequer Second Lord of the Treasury		Sajid Javid [17][18]	2019–2020
First Secretary of State Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs		Dominic Raab [19][20]	2019–2021
Secretary of State for the Home Department		Priti Patel [21][22]	2019–2022
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster		Michael Gove [23]	2019–2021
Secretary of State for Justice Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain		Robert Buckland [24]	2019–2021
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union		Steve Barclay [25]	2018–2020
Secretary of State for Defence		Ben Wallace [26]	2019–2023
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care		Matt Hancock [27]	2018–2021
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy		Andrea Leadsom [28]	2019–2020
Secretary of State for International Trade President of the Board of Trade		Liz Truss [29][30]	2019–2021
Minister for Women and Equalities			Sept 2019–2022
		Amber Rudd [31]	2018 – Sept 2019 [32]
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
		Thérèse Coffey	Sept 2019 – Sept 2022
Secretary of State for Education		Gavin Williamson [33]	2019–2021
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs		Theresa Villiers [34]	2019–2020
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government		Robert Jenrick [35]	2019–2021
Secretary of State for Transport		Grant Shapps [36]	2019–2022
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland		Julian Smith [37]	2019–2020
Secretary of State for Scotland		Alister Jack [38]	2019–2024
Secretary of State for Wales		Alun Cairns [39]	2016 – November 2019
Leader of the House of Lords Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal		Natalie Evans Baroness Evans of Bowes Park [40]	2016–2022
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport		Nicky Morgan [41]	2019–2020
Secretary of State for International Development		Alok Sharma [42]	2019–2020
Minister without Portfolio Party Chairman		James Cleverly [43]	2019–2020
Also attending cabinet meetings
Chief Secretary to the Treasury		Rishi Sunak [44]	2019–2020
Leader of the House of Commons Lord President of the Council		Jacob Rees-Mogg [45]	2019–2022
Chief Whip of the House of Commons Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury		Mark Spencer [46][47]	2019–2022
Attorney General		Geoffrey Cox [48]	2018–2020
Minister of State for Energy		Kwasi Kwarteng [49]	2019–2021
Minister for the Cabinet Office Paymaster General		Oliver Dowden [50]	2019–2020
Minister of Statefor the Northern Powerhouse		Jake Berry [51][52]	2019–2020
Minister of State for Housing		Esther McVey [53]	2019–2020
Minister of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Universities		Jo Johnson [54]	July–Sept 2019 [55]
Minister of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and International Development		Zac Goldsmith	Sept–Dec 2019
Minister of State for Security Deputy forEU Exit andNo Deal Preparation		Brandon Lewis [56]	2019–2020

• Jo Johnson quit the government on 5 September 2019 and said that he would resign as an MP.^[57] His spot in the cabinet was filled byZac Goldsmith, who was made Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and at the Department for International Development on 10 September 2019.^[58]
• Amber Rudd resigned from the cabinet and from the Conservative Party on 7 September 2019.^[14] She was replaced as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions byThérèse Coffey on 8 September 2019, and as Minister for Women and Equalities byLiz Truss on 10 September 2019.^[59][60]
• Alun Cairns resigned from his post of Welsh Secretary on 6 November 2019.^[61]

This is a list of resignations from the first government formed by Prime MinisterBoris Johnson. Since forming a government on 24 July 2019 after his appointment as prime minister, Johnson faced 4 resignations, including 2 cabinet ministers. This list omits sittingMPs who left theConservative Party or had thewhip withdrawn. It also discludes allministers who resigned prior to Boris Johnson taking office as prime minister.

Minister (Cabinet members shown in bold)		Office	Date of resignation	Reason
	George Young, Baron Young of Cookham[note 2]	Lord-in-waiting Government whip	29 August 2019	Resigned in protest of Boris Johnson's plans toprorogue parliament.[62]
	Jo Johnson	Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation	5 September 2019	Stated he was "torn between family and national interest".[63]
	Amber Rudd	Secretary of State for Work and Pensions	7 September 2019	Resigned over Boris Johnson's "purge" of the party and his "failure" to pursue a deal with the EU.[64]
	Alun Cairns	Secretary of State for Wales	6 November 2019	Resigned following claims he had known about a former aide's role in the "sabotage" of a rape trial.[65]

• Johnson cabinets, of Boris Johnson as Mayor of London
• Second Johnson ministry

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