Johnson has made tackling regional inequality a priority for his government but the COVID-19 pandemic has eclipsed action on the promises he made in 2019, when he won the biggest Conservative Party parliamentary majority since Margaret Thatcher. Gavin Williamson was the first to be sacked, as education minister, after being criticised for his handling of schools during the pandemic. A source in Johnson’s office said he would be appointing ministers “with a focus on uniting and levelling up the whole country”. Jenrick had been under fire over his role in a development proposed by a Conservative Party donor. Rumours of a reshuffle, and who might be on their way up or on their way out, have been swirling for weeks.
