BORIS Johnson could reshuffle his ministerial team as early as this Thursday as two senior Tories could change roles.
Rumours have been circulating around Westminster after some government advisers were told to block their diaries for the end of the week.
If the reshuffle is to go ahead, it would be the first full ministerial shake-up in more than 18 months for Johnson's government.
It is thought that Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and Education Secretary Gavin Williamson could be moved in the rearranging of senior Tory ministers.
READ MORE: Minister defends Raab after claim he faces the sack due to Afghanistan handling
Raab has faced severe criticism over his handling of the Afghanistan crisis when he was on holiday in Cyprus as Kabul fell to the Taliban.
It is thought that Raab could be replaced by either International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, Health Secretary Sajid Javid or Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove.
Williamson could lose his role as Education Secretary and become Leader of the House – a role currently held by Jacob Rees-Mogg – in the reshuffle.
The news comes amid a backlash from Tory MPs over the Prime Minister's plans to increase national insurance (NI) payments in order to pay for a reform of the NHS's health and social care system.
It is thought an increase to NI payments, which would break a 2019 manifesto pledge, could raise around £10 billion.
NHS leaders say the £10bn is needed to cover costs from the coronavirus pandemic such as PPE, extra cleaning and hiring temporary staff to cover sicknesses.
Former chancellor Philip Hammond added to the growing number of Tories warning against plans to increase NI, saying they are "wrong" and will provoke a “very significant backlash”.
READ MORE: Tories could hit Scotland with £1 billion tax bombshell for England’s care
Chancellor Rishi Sunak (below) has reportedly been "playing hardball" over the social care levy as he wants assurances that the Treasury will not have to continue to find top-up funds for the NHS once it is introduced.
He has also been pushing for a cap of around £80,000 on the amount which people pay towards care.
A source told the Daily Mail: "The Chancellor did not want to do this. He doesn't think we should be increasing taxes when people are struggling to get back on their feet, and particularly not when we said we wouldn't.
"So he has made sure he has played hardball over how the money is spent. After it comes into effect in April, it will have to cover a lot of the cost of sorting out the NHS. He is not going to just hand over endless amounts of money."
An announcement on details of the levy is expected this Tuesday.
Sunak is thought to be safe in his role as Chancellor due to his popularity in the party, despite reports last month that the Prime Minister considered demoting him.
In a leaked letter, Sunak called for the easing of Covid travel restrictions ahead of Johnson announcing the full details, which frustrated the Prime Minister and caused him to consider Sunak for the role of Health Secretary.
However, the rumours were rejected by the PM's spokesman who said the pair enjoyed a "close and effective working relationship and will continue to do so".
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