Theresa Villiers: Boris Johnson axes environment secretary in post-Brexit cabinet reshuffle

'What the prime minister giveth, the prime minister taketh away,' says ousted cabinet minister

Environment secretary Theresa Villiers has been sacked from the cabinet to "make way for someone new" as Boris Johnson reshuffles his top team.

Ms Villiers, who had been widely tipped to lose out in the cabinet reshuffle, said she was "sad" to have been removed from her post after only six months.

A staunch Brexiteer, Ms Villiers was brought into Mr Johnson's cabinet in the summer but questions had been raised over whether the Chipping Barnet MP was right to head up a department tasked with a critical post-Brexit overhaul of farming.

In a lengthy Facebook post, she said: "What the prime minister giveth, the prime minister taketh away: just over six months ago, I was delighted to be invited by the prime minister to return to government after three years on the backbenches. This morning he told me that I need to make way for someone new.

"I am deeply grateful for having been given the opportunity to serve twice at the highest level of government, first as Northern Ireland Secretary and then as Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. I tackled both roles with passion, commitment, and huge amounts of hard work."

She added: "I wish the prime minister and his new cabinet well in the tasks ahead of them. I am sad to no longer be part of that team, but they will have my full support as they take forward Boris' bold agenda to unite and level up every part of this great country."

Ms Villiers' departure leaves a vacancy at the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra), with farming and fishing likely to prove critical in the post-Brexit trade negotiations.

She recently gave assurances that the UK would not lower its food standards in trade talks amid fears that chlorinated chicken could be allowed into British markets as a price of a trade deal with the US.

Other senior ministers axed from the cabinet include Andrea Leadsom from her role as business secretary, Julian Smith as Northern Ireland secretary, and Esther McVey, who attended cabinet as housing minister.

Geoffrey Cox, the attorney general, has also been sacked, along with a string of junior ministers, such as Nusrat Ghani and George Freeman from the Department for Transport.

The prime minister intends to "promote a generation of talent" in a reshuffle aimed at preparing the Tories for the post-Brexit future, with No10 sources saying they were planning to promote women into junior ministerial positions.

However Mr Johnson's decision to axe several senior women from cabinet posts will call that pledge into question.