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Theresa May sacks sex toy minister in Tory reshuffle

Emilio Casalicchio

2 min read

Theresa May has sacked trade minister Mark Garnier just weeks after he was told asking his PA to buy him sex toys was not a breach of government rules.


The Wyre Forest MP is said to have called his assistant “sugar tits” and tasked her with buying two dildos in Soho back in 2010 before he became a minister.

A Cabinet Office probe last month said there was “no evidence” he had breached the ministerial code and the Prime Minister said “a line should be drawn under the issue”.

But today she sacked him as she cleared out a number of junior ministers to make way for fresh faces in her top team.

On Twitter Mr Garnier said he was “very sad” to have lost his job but suggested he would be a loyal backbencher.

He is the fifth minister from one of the two new departments set up in the wake of the Brexit vote to lose his job.

James McGrory, the executive director of the pro-EU Open Britain group, said the "uncertainty" of the constant job switches was "perilous".

Meanwhile, Philip Dunne resigned as a health minister after he just yesterday suggested NHS patients could sit down while waiting for hospital beds to become available.

Robert Goodwill was dumped as an education minister and John Hayes resigned as a transport minister as the Prime Minister continued her two-day reshuffle.

Elsewhere this morning Dominc Raab was moved from the Ministry of Justice to replace Alok Sharma as Housing Minister, while Mr Sharma took a job in the Department for Work and Pensions. 

Last night, Justine Greening dramatically quit her post as education secretary after she refused to switch jobs to become work and pensions secretary.

Patrick McLoughlin was sacked as Tory chair and James Brokenshire quit as Northern Ireland secretary due to health reasons.

But Jeremy Hunt convinced Mrs May to keep him on in the health brief.

Keep up to date with all the New Year reshuffle moves as they happen on our live grid.

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