Gavin Williamson’s job as education secretary is said to be at risk if the prime minister goes ahead with a rumoured upcoming cabinet reshuffle.
However when pressed on the issue today, Boris Johnson defended the secretary of state in the House of Commons - arguing he had done a “heroic job” during the pandemic.
The prime minister refused to answer questions yesterday over whether he will make changes to his top team in the coming days.
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Persistent speculation has suggested that he is preparing a wider reshuffle to clear out underperforming senior ministers, with reports that the shake-up could take place as soon as tomorrow.
But some are now suggesting that the changes may come later in the autumn.
Reports have indicated that foreign secretary Dominic Raab could be moved in response to his handling of the Afghanistan crisis.
And Mr Williamson has also been tipped to be at risk.
Both have seen a drop in their rating in the cabinet approval league table run by website ConservativeHome.
But Mr Johnson today defended Mr Williamson in the Commons.
Labour shadow schools minister, Peter Kyle, asked during prime minister’s questions: “With a net approval rating among Tory supporters of minus 53, can the prime minister get to his feet, put his hand on his heart, promise the country, this House, and his own supporters, that the education secretary is the right person for the job, and is up to the job?”
The prime minister responded: “I think the whole House will recognise that the education secretary has done a heroic job of dealing with a very difficult circumstance in which we have had to close schools during the pandemic.
“And never forget, I think the job of teachers, the job of parents up and down the land would have been made much easier if Labour, and the Labour leadership in particular, had had the guts, if he’d had the guts to say that schools are safe.”
Mr Johnson would not be drawn on the rumours at a press conference on Tuesday to coincide with announcements on social care.
He was asked by multiple journalists whether he would be conducting a reshuffle but on each occasion failed to respond to the question.
Closing the briefing, he said that if he had avoided questions on “more political matters” it was “because this is a press conference that is focused on, I think, what matters to the people of this country, which is building back better from Covid, fixing the backlogs in our NHS and fixing social care at the same time”.
The Sunday Times reported that a reshuffle could take place this week to act as a distraction to the expected social care row.
Downing Street previously said there were “no plans for any reshuffle”.
