THERESA May’s Cabinet reshuffle has left her with a higher proportion of Oxbridge and privately educated top ministers, an analysis shows.

Despite suggestions that the Prime Minister might seek to boost the diversity of her top team to better reflect the country, a higher proportion (34 per cent) of her senior ministers received a private education than in her first Cabinet in 2016 (30 per cent).

Overall, Cabinet ministers were more than five times more likely to have gone to a fee-paying school than the general population, the Sutton Trust analysis showed.

Nearly half (48 per cent) of the Cabinet attended Oxbridge, a higher proportion than in 2016 (44 per cent), but still lower than her predecessor David Cameron’s 2015 team (50 per cent).

May has sought to make a clean break from Cameron’s premiership, and has a higher proportion (66 per cent) of Cabinet ministers from state schools than her predecessor (50 per cent) did in 2015. Although she had to ditch plans for new grammar schools after her disastrous General Election, May showed the value she places on selective state education, with 24 per cent of the Cabinet coming from such schools, compared to seven per cent of Cameron’s 2015 team.

Overall, less than half (41 per cent) of May’s new Cabinet went to a comprehensive state school, compared to 44 per cent when she became PM, and 43 per cent in Cameron’s team.

Downing Street said the percentage of the Cabinet educated in the state sector was “significantly higher” than it was in 2015 under David Cameron.

May sacked a number of middle-ranking white, male ministers – including an MP who had been at the centre of a sex toy storm – and promoted younger colleagues to the ministerial ranks.

One of the more high-profile appointments was that of Suella Fernandes – leader of the influential pro-Brexit European Research Group of backbenchers – to the department responsible for the UK’s departure from the EU. The Fareham MP was elected in 2015 and is the daughter of immigrants from Kenya and Mauritius. Casualties of the reshuffle included Mark Garnier, who lost his job as trade minister just weeks after being cleared by an investigation into allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards a female member of staff, including asking her to buy a sex toy. Number 10 sources insisted the incident had nothing to do with his departure.

Others leaving the Cabinet included Scarborough and Whitby MP Robert Goodwill, who lost his job as minister for children and families, Philip Dunne (Ludlow), who is removed as health minister, and John Hayes (South Holland and The Deepings), leaves the Department for Transport.

May’s Cabinet met yesterday for the first time since a misfired reshuffle of top jobs on Monday, which saw Justine Greening walk out as education secretary rather than accept a move to work and pensions. Jeremy Hunt turned down the PM’s offer of the business brief, insisting instead on an expanded health and social care role. Africa minister Rory Stewart has gone to the Ministry of Justice – a shift criticised by Tory grandee Sir Nicholas Soames who questioned why a “really knowledgeable” foreign policy expert was being moved to a domestic role.

Following Hunt’s reported refusal to move from health, a spokesman described him as: “A long-serving and hard-working Health Secretary who has helped deliver an NHS which has been rated the best in the world.”

The spokesman confirmed the review of social care which was started under the Cabinet Office was being moved in its entirety to Hunt’s renamed department.