BORIS Johnson spoke to his new Cabinet this morning, telling them they had all made it in on merit but adding now is the time to redouble their efforts, as he joked about the number of delivery rooms he has been in.

Johnson was sat with the Cabinet after a series of big changes saw Liz Truss become Foreign Secretary, Michael Gove moved to Housing and Dominic Raab demoted to Justice Secretary – while also becoming deputy prime minister.

There were a handful of sackings, with Robert Buckland, Robert Jenrick and Gavin Williamson sent to the backbenches.

The National:

Sat around the Cabinet table with Cabinet Secretary Simon Case to his right and Chancellor Rishi Sunak to his left this morning, Johnson said: “I want to thank you all because you’re all here on your merits because you’ve worked incredibly hard, but I want you to work even harder now.

“I’m just thinking about delivery, I’ve seen a few delivery rooms, probably seen as many delivery rooms as anybody in this… Apart from the exception of Jacob [Rees-Mogg].

“I know that delivery normally involves a superhuman effort by at least one person in the room. But there are plenty of other people in that room who are absolutely indispensable to that successful outcome.”

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It is widely believed that Johnson has seven children, but he has not confirmed the exact number publicly.

He and ex-wife Marina Wheeler have four children together. He has a fifth child with art consultant Helen Macintyre. Johnson and wife Carrie have one son and are expecting another in December.

Johnson has long avoided answering questions about his family life – particularly during the 2019 General Election campaign, when he was pressed on LBC to state how many children he had. The Tory leader said since his children were not standing for election he did not want to comment on them.

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Earlier today at the Cabinet, Raab sat opposite the Prime Minister, alongside Truss and Gove.

The Conservative chief gave his overhauled Cabinet a “half-time pep talk”, telling them: “This is the moment when we spit out the orange peel” and work together, having culled multiple members of his top team.

“This is, if you like, the half-time pep talk," he said.

“This is the moment when we spit out the orange peel, we adjust our gum shields and our scrum caps.

“And we get out on to the pitch in the knowledge that we’re going to have to do it together and we’re going to have to do it as a team.”