BORIS Johnson has appointed a number of Tory MPs to the cabinet, in a bid to fill some of the gaps left by this week’s mass resignation of ministers. 

In his farewell speech from Downing Street, the Prime Minister said his new frontbenchers would remain in office for as long as he does. 

His intention is to stay in No 10 as a caretaker leader until the Tories elect a new chief in time for the party's annual conference in October. 

Though, many of his former colleagues want him gone sooner rather than later. 

Nevertheless, the belligerent Mr Johnson, who has lost more than 50 members of his government this week, began his reshuffle on Thursday morning.  

He appointed staunch remainer Greg Clark as the new Levelling Up Secretary, replacing arch-Brexiteer Michael Gove who was sacked by Mr Johnson on Wednesday.

James Cleverly has been made Education Secretary replacing Michelle Donelan who held the brief for less than 36 hours. 

Robert Buckland has been appointed Secretary of State for Wales, following the resignation of Simon Hart.

Kit Malthouse is the new Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the most senior minister in the Cabinet Office after the Prime Minister.

Shailesh Vara is the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, while Andrew Stephenson has been appointed Minister without Portfolio, and will attend Cabinet.

Others, including Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, and Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack look set to remain in place.

In his speech, Mr Johnson said "no one is remotely indispensable,” in politics. 

The Prime Minister said: “It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister.

“And I’ve agreed with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of our backbench MPs, that the process of choosing that new leader should begin now and the timetable will be announced next week.

“And I’ve today appointed a Cabinet to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place.”

Mr Johnson also hit out at his deserting cabinet colleagues: “In the last few days, I tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments when we’re delivering so much and when we have such a vast mandate and when we’re actually only a handful of points behind in the polls, even in mid-term after quite a few months of pretty relentless sledging and when the economic scene is so difficult domestically and internationally.

“I regret not to have been successful in those arguments and of course it’s painful not to be able to see through so many ideas and projects myself.

“But as we’ve seen, at Westminster the herd instinct is powerful, when the herd moves, it moves.”

George Freeman, who quit as science minister on Thursday morning, said that now Mr Johnson had “finally done the decent thing” he should “hand in the seals of office, apologise to Her Majesty, allow her to appoint a caretaker under whom ministers can serve, so the Conservative Party can choose a new leader properly”.

Lord Barwell, who served as Theresa May’s chief of staff, said the leadership election must be “relatively quick” and there was a “question whether the PM will be able to lead a caretaker government in the meantime, will enough ministers agree to serve?”

Dominic Cummings, formerly Mr Johnson’s right-hand man in No 10 but now one of his most fierce critics, said the Prime Minister would cause “carnage” if he was allowed to remain in position.

He said the Cabinet should give Mr Johnson an ultimatum and tell him that if he does not go the Queen will appoint Deputy Prime Minister Mr Raab and “cops escort you from building”.