Boris plot to remove Williamson as Education Secretary and replace him with 'rising star'

BORIS JOHNSON could be set to replace Gavin Williamson as Education Secretary in his next Cabinet reshuffle with a rising Conservative star who is popular in the party for attacking "woke campaigners".

Kemi Badenoch, an equalities minister who is also part of Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Treasury team, is being lined up for a key role in Boris Johnson's next Cabinet reshuffle, The Times has reported, citing "multiple sources". Mr Williamson is understood to have been facing a growing backlash from some Conservative Party MPs, who are not happy with his performance after a number of apparent errors in his role during the Covid pandemic.

But as part of attempts to avoid being completely ousted from the Cabinet, the Education Secretary is reportedly telling colleagues he “knows where the bodies are” in what could be seen as a veiled threat to Mr Johnson.

One MP told The Times he has recently been pitching himself as Leader of the House Commons, a role currently held by Jacob Rees-Mogg, in a desperate attempt to remain in the Prime Minister's top team.

A Conservative MP told the newspaper: "He is wetting himself about getting the sack. He keeps telling people he knows where the bodies are and [the] PM is too weak to sack him.”

Mr Williamson's allies added he had been assigned one of the most difficult jobs in Government, responsible for guiding the education sector through the pandemic through making some challenging decisions.

He has been Education Secretary since July 2019 outlasting the average incumbent’s two years in a post over the past decade.

The Cabinet minister also ran Mr Johnson's leadership campaign that year and prior to that served as Government Chief Whip.

However, Mr Williamson is unlikely to be replaced anytime soon as the Prime Minister is reported to unlikely reshuffle his Cabinet until January at the earliest.

But Douglas Smith, who has been a Tory "fixer" for three decades and was recently brought into the Government's top team, is rumoured to be pushing for 41-year-old Ms Badenoch to become the next Education Secretary in the revamp.