The prime minister will shuffle her top team today, with reports stating a 'no deal' Brexit minister would prepare for the possibility that the UK will leave the bloc in 2019 without an agreement on exit terms or future status.
In December, prime minister Theresa May and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker announced that a deal had been struck to allow Brexit negotiations to progress on to talks about the UK’s future trade relationship with the EU, but the new Cabinet post would prepare for the talks stalling ahead of the UK's exit in March 2019.
RELATED CONTENT
Among other moves, various outlets have said Justine Greening is set to be moved from her current job as education secretary.
Business secretary Greg Clark and Tory party chairman Patrick McLoughlin are also thought to be vulnerable as May looks to freshen up her frontbench. However, it is thought that chancellor Philip Hammond, foreign secretary Boris Johnson, and Brexit secretary David Davis will all remain in their posts.
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt is being tipped to replace Damian Green as Cabinet Office minister with the title first secretary of state, a position without any formal responsibilities but which is seen as being a de facto deputy prime minister.
If he does move, education minister Anne Milton – herself a former nurse – is widely touted as a possible successor at the Department of Health.
Reports suggest May will appoint more women to ministerial roles and promote MPs from ethnic minorities in a bid to show her party is more representative of modern Britain.
Nusrat Ghani, Seema Kennedy and Rishi Sunak are among the backbenchers tipped for a first government job.