LONDON - In his first move since taking office, Britain's new prime minister, Mr Boris Johnson, startled political observers by implementing a wholesale clear-out of the Cabinet he inherited from former prime minister Theresa May.

Among the casualties were Finance Minister Philip Hammond, who served prominently in every Cabinet over the past decade but is now returning to the parliamentary backbench; Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who recently stood against Prime Minister Johnson for the leadership of the ruling Conservative party and now finds himself with no job; and Ms Penny Mordaunt, Britain's first woman defence minister, who has barely been in office for three months and has now been unceremoniously sacked by Mr Johnson.