JACOB Rees-Mogg has lost his job as Leader of the House of Commons, and is now the Minister for Brexit Opportunities.

It comes after reports indicated Rees-Mogg’s time in his role may be coming to an end, as Johnson seeks to appease his Tory backbenchers to save his own skin.

Last week, as Johnson faced resignations of senior Downing Street staff and ongoing pressure over the partygate scandal – plus fury over his use of a Jimmy Savile smear against Keir Starmer – it was reported that he’d been meeting with backbenchers to assuage their concerns.

Kuenssberg told Newscast listeners: "Whether he does some of the other things he promised to MPs, we will see.

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"Some say he promised to get rid of the chief whip and one MP suggested he said he would get rid of the leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg,” she added.

Rees-Mogg has been a keen defender of Johnson throughout his time in the Cabinet. He was appointed Leader of the House when Johnson was elected Tory leader in 2019, after having been a key figure in the hard Brexiteer push to oust Theresa May from government.

The National:

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg and Chief Whip Mark Spencer leaving 10 Downing Street

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman confirmed on Tuesday that there would be a “small number” of Cabinet changes announced.

Other than Rees-Mogg, two changes have been announced:

– Mark Spencer moves from chief whip to Commons Leader

The “big farmer”, as the Prime Minister jokingly refers to him, has paid the price for a series of missteps in managing the parliamentary party.

He played a leading role in trying to get Tory MPs to support a shake-up of Commons sleaze rules in an attempt to spare Owen Paterson from being suspended, incurring their wrath when the controversial plan was subsequently abandoned.

He also failed to prevent a revolt by 100 Tories over Covid rules and faced claims – which he has denied – that he told MP Nusrat Ghani she lost her ministerial role because her Muslim faith made people feel uncomfortable.

His new role will still see him play a major part in liaising between Tory backbenchers and No 10.

– Chris Heaton-Harris becomes Chief Whip, having been Europe Minister

The Daventry MP was previously chief whip for the Tories in the European Parliament, which will at least give him some idea of the challenges that await him.

He also reportedly played a role in the “shadow whipping operation” aimed at seeing off efforts to oust the Prime Minister.

Outside of Westminster he is known for a Twitter account which used to heavily feature Christmas cracker-style jokes before his ministerial responsibilities got in the way.

A sense of humour may prove essential as he tries to manage a party which appears set on publicly tearing itself apart.

Commenting on the mini reshuffle, the SNP's Westminster deputy leader Kirsten Oswald MP said: “No amount of shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic can stop Boris Johnson’s sleaze-ridden government from sinking further into chaos.

"The Prime Minister broke the rules and misled Parliament. His lies and slurs have debased politics, and he has become a distraction from the issues that really matter - like the Tory cost of living crisis, which has spiralled out of control.

"Tory MPs must finally show him the door. The longer he remains in post, the more damage he will do to any remaining public trust in the UK government."

The moves follow the appointment of Stephen Barclay, the Cabinet Office minister, as Johnson’s new chief of staff.