ANDOVER'S MP has been promoted to the top table of government after a cabinet reshuffle.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson reshuffled his cabinet on Wednesday, which saw Robert Jenrick and Gavin Williamson sacked, whilst Liz Truss was the big winner with a promotion to foreign secretary.

Meanwhile, Kit Malthouse, MP for North West Hampshire and long-term Boris Johnson ally, was promoted to the cabinet.

The joint minister of state at the Home Office and Ministry of Justice told The Advertiser: “I am pleased to continue with the vital mission of fighting crime and that its importance has been recognised by my promotion to Cabinet, meaning the Home Office now has more firepower at the heart of government.

"Recruiting 20,000 police officers, putting drug gangs out of business, and making our streets safe is one of the Prime Minister’s chief priorities and I am honoured to be given the responsibility to deliver.”

Mr Malthouse, who was first elected to represent North West Hampshire in 2015, is the crime and policing minister.

He also served as deputy mayor of London to Mr Johnson between 2008 and 2016.

Last year, it was reported that Mr Johnson could be set to promote him to a 'great office of state', with the Sunday Times reporting he was set to replace Priti Patel as home secretary.

Mr Malthouse continues to report to Ms Patel as home secretary, as well as the justice secretary Dominic Raab, who was demoted from foreign secretary.

Mr Raab has also become Lord Chancellor and Deputy Prime Minister.

On Friday, Mr Johnson convened his new cabinet for the first time, giving a "half-time pep talk".

In the first meeting of the new Cabinet on Friday, the Prime Minister said it is time to “spit out the orange peel” and work together, having sacked three people who would otherwise have joined them around the table in Downing Street.

Mr Johnson appeared to be in a buoyant mood, making jokes and deploying metaphors as he gave an opening speech to the ministers crowded around the Cabinet table, not wearing masks.

With former education secretary Gavin Williamson among those sacked, the Prime Minister told the surviving Cabinet members they are all there on “merit”, but he added it is time to redouble their efforts to deliver for the public.

“I’m just thinking about delivery… I’ve seen a few delivery rooms, probably seen as many delivery rooms as anybody in this… with the possible exception of Jacob (Rees-Mogg, the Commons Leader),” said Mr Johnson, a father of at least six.

“I know that delivery normally involves a superhuman effort by at least one person in the room.

“But there are plenty of other people in that room who are absolutely indispensable to that successful outcome.”

The Prime Minister continued: “To mix my metaphors, this is, if you like, the half-time pep talk.

“This is the moment when we spit out the orange peel, we adjust our gum shields and our scrum caps.

“We get out on to the pitch in the knowledge that we’re going to have to do it together and we’re going to have to do it as a team.”