THE NORTHERN Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire has resigned and will be leaving Government, The Sun understands.

A government source said he was suffering from “ill-health”, which was confirmed in an official letter to the Prime Minister this morning.

He will be replaced in his role by Karen Bradley, the former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, but he will stay on as an MP.

He hopes to take several weeks out before getting right back to work.

Mr Brokenshire told the Prime Minister that he has been undergoing a series of tests and needs an operation to remove a "small lesion".

The Prime Minister expressed her sympathies and praised him for his "long hours, hard effort and complete focus" with trying to deal with "vital" Northern Ireland issues over the past year.

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Colleagues lined up to pay tribute to him, and wished him a speedy recovery.

Tory MP Bob Neil said he had been a "brilliant minister".

The news comes as she embarked on a reshuffle of her top team this morning.

Theresa May replaced the 50-year old MP for Old Bexley, who has been doing the Northern Ireland job since July 2016.

Karen Bradley will enter the role – after a stint looking after the Culture, Media and Sport Department.

She is another trusted ally of Mrs May, and has been the MP for Staffordshire Moorlands since 2010

Reshuffle: who has been sacked, and who stays?

What we know so far this afternoon….

IN

David Lidington becomes Minister for Cabinet Office and Duchy of Lancaster (previously Justice Secretary) but NOT First Secretary of State title

Amber Rudd – stays as Home Secretary

Philip Hammond – stays as Chancellor

David Davis – stays as Brexit Secretary

Sajid Javid – becomes Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary (keeps his job, but added Housing to the title)

Boris Johnson – stays as Foreign Secretary

Jeremy Hunt – becomes Health and Social Care Secretary (keeps his job, but adds responsibility for Social Care to the title)

Greg Clark – stays as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Gavin Williamson – stays as Secretary of State for Defence

David Gauke – becomes Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (previously the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions)

Karen Bradley – becomes Northern Ireland Secretary (previously Culture Secretary)

Matt Hancock – becomes Culture Secretary (previously Digital Minister in the same department)

Liam Fox stays as Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade

Chris Grayling – stays as Transport Secretary

Penny Mordaunt – stays as International Development Secretary

Michael Gove – stays as Environment Secretary

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park – remains Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

David Mundell – stays as Scottish Secretary
Alun Cairns – stays as Welsh Secretary

Damian Hinds – bumped up from Employment Minister to Education Secretary

OUT

James Brokenshire (resigns as Northern Ireland Secretary due to ill health)

IN CCHQ…

Patrick McLoughlin (resigned as Tory party chairman)

Brandon Lewis made Tory chairman and Minister without Portfolio (previously an Immigration Minister in the Home Office)

James Cleverly made Tory deputy chairman (previously a private secretary to Lewis)

Rehman Chishti and Helen Grant are Vice Chairs for Communities

Maria Caulfield is Vice Chair for Women

Ben Bradley is Vice Chair for Youth

Kemi Badenoch is Vice Chair for Candidates

Chris Skidmore is Vice Chair for Policy

Andrew Jones is Vice Chair for Business Engagement

Marcus Jones is Vice Chair for Local Government

James Morris is Vice Chair for Training and Development

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