Michael Gove sacked as Justice Secretary by Theresa May

He is the second major casualty from Mr Cameron's Cabinet, joining Osborne on the backbenches

(Reuters)

Michael Gove has been sacked as Justice Secretary as Theresa May continued the process of appointing ministers to her new administration.

Mr Gove, who was hoping to carry on with prison reforms at the Justice department, was eliminated from the Conservative party leadership contest in the second round of voting by backbench Tory MPs. He is credited with not only contributing to the demise of David Cameron's career but also also effectively ruined the leadership ambitions of the former London mayor Boris Johnson.

Downing Street declined to comment on reports that he had left the Government, but it is understood that Mrs May has told him he will not form a part of her team. He is the second major casualty from Mr Cameron's Cabinet, joining the former Chancellor George Osborne on the backbenches.

In 2014 a battle between Ms May and Mr Gove over the “Trojan horse” extremism in schools came to a bitter climax as Ms May’s closest adviser, Fiona Cunningham, resigned and Mr Gove was ordered to apologise to the Prime Minister.

The then Education Secretary was forced to admit that it was wrong to brief The Times against the Home Secretary and her intelligence chief, Charles Farr. Downing Street said Mr Gove had written letters of apology to Mr Cameron and Mr Farr “in acknowledgement of his role” in claiming that the Home Office had failed to “drain the swamp” of Islamic extremism. Ms Cunningham, the Home Secretary's special adviser and trusted aide resigned over her “improper release” of a retaliatory letter from Mrs May that criticised Mr Gove over extremism.

Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary in David Cameron's government, has also lost her job in the reshuffle. Ms Morgan had backed Mr Gove for Tory leader.

The demotion is the first time Mr Gove will not be in the Cabinet since the Conservative party returned to government in 2010. He was initially appointed as Education Secretary under David Cameron, where he made a series of controversial reforms and became a hate figure amongst the teaching profession.

The MP was later moved to Leader of the House of Commons. He was then appointed Justice Secretary, where he undid many of the changes implemented by his predecessor Chris Grayling.

Mr Gove’s intervention in the leadership race is believed to have been crucial in undermining Mr Johnson’s campaign and prompting his announcement that he would not formally enter the race.

But Mr Johnson has since been appointed as Foreign Secretary by Ms May. Mr Gove’s approval ratings, usually high among Conservative activists, fell dramatically in the wake of his assassination of Mr Johnson, according to polls.