Tory MPs today said they are 'delighted' after Theresa May named leading Brexiteer and former reality TV contestant Penny Mordaunt as the new International Development Secretary.
The PM promoted the Work and Pensions minister, who starred in ITV's celebrity diving programme Splash!, to the Cabinet after the dramatic departure of Priti Patel last night.
The move came in a minimalist reshuffle as Mrs May struggled to quell a mounting sense of chaos after Ms Patel followed Sir Michael Fallon out of the exit door.
Her deputy Damian Green is still being investigated over sex harassment allegations, while Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is facing demands to resign over loose comments that might double the jail term for a British mother in Iran.
Ms Mordaunt's appointment to the job maintains the careful balance of Remainers and Brexiteers around the Cabinet table and Tory MPs warmly welcomed the move.
Tory MP for North west Leicestershire Andrew Bridgen told Mail Online: 'I'm delighted.
'But we need to bear in mind that all members of Cabinet are Brexiteers now because that is Government policy.
'She's a Brexiteer, but it is an appointment based on merit and she is very good.'
Fellow Conservative Anne-Marie Trevelyan hailed Ms Mordaunt as a 'great choice'while Huw Merriman described her as 'a great person and a great talent'.
Mrs May also brought in new blood by elevating a member of the 2015 intake of Tory MPs to ministerial office for the first time.
Victoria Atkins becomes a Home Office minister, while Sarah Newton shifts to take 44-year-old Ms Mordaunt's old job.
The promotion for Ms Mordaunt came in a minimalist reshuffle as Mrs May struggled to quell a mounting sense of chaos after Ms Patel followed Sir Michael Fallon out of the exit door.
Mrs Johnson's position deteriorated further today after Iranian state TV claimed that he had 'confessed' she broke the law by spreading propaganda - potentially meaning a 10-year sentence.
Meanwhile, there have been warnings from friends of Miss Patel that she could 'go off like a shotgun' at Tory Remainers now she has been freed of ministerial constraints.
EU leaders are said to be preparing for the fall of Mrs May's government within weeks after scandal and divisions threatened to erode its slender grip on power.
Having faced a major backlash from MPs over her decision to appoint close ally Gavin Williamson after Sir Michael resigned over sleaze allegations seven days ago, this time Mrs May bowed to demands from Brexiteers to maintain their representation in the Cabinet.
Miss Patel was a vocal supporter of leaving the EU, and Ms Mordaunt - who supported Mrs May's rival Andrea Leadsom in Tory leadership contest last year - was on the same side of the debate.
She also has a colourful back story, having served as a magician's assistant, trained as a Royal Navy reservist and topped the 2011 list of sexiest female MPs.
In 2014 she sparked controversy by appearing on the TV diving show 'Splash' - donating her payment to charity.
And the popular MP has smuggled in a bit of cheeky humour into the usually deadly serious Commons debates.
She admitted making a joke speech about animal welfare so she could say the word 'c**k' after a dare from her friends in the Navy.
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith also insisted 'strong Brexit views' would be a factor in the PM's choice.
'I think we are all Brexiteers now. So the question is to what degree do you want someone in that job to be in support of David Davis and others, and I think therefore the balance on having strong Brexit views is one that in all probability that the prime minister will certainly look for,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
Miss Patel, once tipped as a Tory leader, tweeted her thanks for 'support and kindness' she had been shown today after she was forced to quit the Cabinet over her secret dealings with the Israeli government.
Amid farcical scenes, Miss Patel was ordered to fly home to face the music last night just 12 hours into a tour of Africa – and just two days after she was reprieved by Mrs May.
She quit in a short meeting with the PM in Downing Street - but in her resignation letter she issued a thinly veiled warning that she could challenge the Government from the backbenches over Brexit, as allies argued she had been treated harshly.
In the most explosive allegation, it is said Mrs May spoke to Ms Patel in advance of the UN General Assembly and they discussed the minister's meeting with Mr Netanyahu, as well as the details of Ms Patel's plan for UK aid to be shared with the Israelis.
Mrs May is said to have agreed the idea was 'sensible' but needed sign off from the Foreign Office.
But a No10 spokesman said: 'It is not true that the Prime Minister knew about the International Development Secretary's meeting with PM Netanyahu before Friday November 3.
'It is equally untrue to say that No 10 asked DfID to remove any meetings from the list they published this week.'
