Tory chairman Brandon Lewis defends reshuffle
The new Conservative Party chairman has defended Theresa May's reshuffle, saying it would be like a "breath of fresh air" by the time it is finished.
Brandon Lewis said it was a shame that Justine Greening had quit as education secretary, having refused a move to the work and pensions department.
Most big names stayed in post and more junior appointments are expected later.
The reshuffle was called "embarrassing" and "shambolic" by some Tory MPs, the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg said.
Labour called it a "pointless and lacklustre PR exercise".
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As well as Ms Greening's refusal to move, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is understood to have persuaded Mrs May to keep him in post with an expanded brief.
In other appointments:
- Ms Greening was replaced as education secretary by Damian Hinds
- Esther McVey was promoted to work and pensions secretary
- Justice Secretary David Lidington was moved to the Cabinet Office, and will deputise for Mrs May at Prime Minister's Questions
- David Gauke replaced Mr Lidington as justice secretary
- Matt Hancock is culture secretary and Karen Bradley is the new Northern Ireland secretary
Two departments were renamed - housing was added to the title of the communities department while the title of Mr Hunt's health brief now includes social care.
Mr Lewis replaces Sir Patrick McLoughlin as Conservative Party chairman, with James Cleverly becoming his deputy.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Lewis said "really good people move on" in any reshuffle. He would not get into "gossip" about how it had unfolded, but said it had heralded a "real influx of new talent".
"It's not finished yet," he said, predicting a "breath of fresh air coming in" with the other ministerial announcements that are expected during the day.
The cabinet is meeting for the first time since the reshuffle, with more ministerial changes to be announced during the day.
Government sources have told the BBC that International Trade Minister Mark Garnier is leaving government, and that his departure is not related to recent allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
Last month Mr Garnier was cleared of breaking the ministerial code after a Cabinet Office investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
Other ministers believed to be leaving government are John Hayes (transport), Philip Dunne (health) and Robert Goodwill (education).
In her resignation statement, Ms Greening said: "Social mobility matters to me and our country more than a ministerial career."
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said she was sorry to see Ms Greening leave:
And veteran Conservative MP Sir Nicholas Soames did not seem impressed at the reshuffle:
Grant Shapps, Conservative party chairman between 2012 and 2015, said the reshuffle had not been "brilliantly executed" but praised plans for housing and health.
"There was some good stuff, strangely buried in a reshuffle that didn't quite go to plan," he told BBC Two's Newsnight.
He said the addition of housing to the title of the communities department would give "a lot more focus" to government plans to build more homes - adding that plans to bring health and social care together were "quite smart".
Was May foiled in reshuffle aims?
Laura Kuenssberg, BBC political editor
Theresa May had mulled over her reshuffle for months.
On Monday she felt daring enough to do it, after ending the tumult of 2017 with the government in better shape than for quite some time, despite the embarrassing departures of some of her colleagues.
The task was not to make radical changes, the most senior jobs were never in question, but the plan was to get the right reformers into the right jobs in her view, and to plan for the future.
The question of the long term will still be dealt with on Tuesday, when junior ministers are expected to be appointed, with far greater numbers of women and ethnic minority MPs, part of the Tories' effort to look more like the country they govern.
But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "The government's big plan for the new year is to dodge the real issues and reshuffle the pack in a pointless and lacklustre PR exercise.
"It's simply not good enough. You can't make up for nearly eight years of failure by changing the name of a department."