Boris Johnson has announced two new appointments to Downing Street in an attempt to fill the void that had been left by five resignations in the space of 24 hours.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay will become the PM’s chief of staff.
He will be “in charge of integrating the new Office of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Office, driving the Government’s agenda more efficiently and ensuring it is better aligned with the Cabinet and backbenchers”.
Former BBC journalist Guto Harri is joining Mr Johnson’s team as director of communications. He was Mr Johnson’s spokesman and chief of staff during his first term as London mayor.
More announcements are expected in the coming days.
Amid the growing Tory rebellion over Mr Johnson’s leadership, No 10 insiders warned that the increasingly isolated PM is becoming “unpredictable and erratic”.
One minister has called for Mr Johnson to sack Rishi Sunak and two others accusing the chancellor of being “on manoeuvres” for the leadership, according to The Times.
