Theresa May has begun the year with a reshuffle of the senior figures in her government.
- Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire resigns due to ill health.
- Confusion reigns as Chris Grayling is announced as the new Conservative party chairman, before being retracted minutes later.
- Grayling holds the position for around 30 seconds before Brandon Lewis is later announced as having been given the job instead
- Other figures are expected to be sacked or moved following the departure of Hunt's predecessor Damian Green.
- May expected to bring a series of younger MPs into more junior positions.
LONDON — Theresa May has suffered a shock resignation of a leading government ally as she prepared to reshuffle her Cabinet.
The Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire stood down due to ill health, as the prime minister prepared to reappoint her top team, a government spokesperson confirmed.
In a letter to the prime minister, Brokenshire said he had a small lesion on the lung which required surgery.
"Clearly my long-term health and my family are my priorities," he wrote.
May thanked him for his service and replied that it was "absolutely right that you should put your health first."
In statement, DUP leader Arlene Foster said Brokenshire had "immersed himself fully in the role [of Northern Ireland secretary] by dedicating long hours to trying to make progress."
Reshuffle chaos
There was also much confusion after the Conservative party announced that the Transport Secretary Chris Grayling had been moved to party chairman, replacing Patrick McLoughlin.
However, the announcement was made on Twitter before being deleted shortly afterwards.
The Times later reported that there had been "internal pushback" against Grayling, with other reports suggesting that the Conservatives had mistakenly announced Grayling's appointement due to it being reported by the BBC.
Number 10 later confirmed that Brandon Lewis had got the job instead, with the backbench MP James Cleverly moving to become his new deputy.
Lewis also took on the role of Minister Without Portfolio.
McLoughlin was moved out after heavy criticism in private from Conservative MPs for his role in the general election and the prime minister's disastrous party conference speech.
May was also reportedly preparing to appoint a new First Secretary of State to replace the former holder Damian Green, with other senior figures also expected to be moved.
Green was sacked by the prime minister last year after making a misleading claiming about pornography found on his parliamentary computer in 2008.
Further announcements are expected throughout the day, with more junior appointments expected tomorrow.
May arriving at Downing Street for her reshuffle
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