Portrait of the week | 25 July 2019

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Boris Johnson became Prime Minister after being elected the leader of the Conservative party by its members, with 92,153 votes to Jeremy Hunt’s 46,656 and a turnout of 87.4 per cent. Philip Hammond got his resignation as chancellor of the exchequer in before he could be sacked, as did David Gauke as justice secretary and Sir Alan Duncan as a Foreign Office minister. Plots were afoot to undermine Mr Johnson’s promise to leave the European Union by 31 October, with or without an agreement. David Frost, a former chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, was appointed to the job of liaising with the EU over Brexit, relinquished by the civil servant Oliver Robbins. The leadership of the Liberal Democrats went to Jo Swinson, who beat Sir Ed Davey by 47,997 votes to 28,021. At her last cabinet, its members gave Theresa May a Liberty bucket bag, a canvas clutch and a Lalique necklace costing £1,500 in total.