Jacob Rees-Mogg has been appointed leader of the House of Commons, and will also attend cabinet, Downing Street has said as Boris Johnson overhauled Theresa May’s government.

The freshly-anointed PM sacked detractors, squeezed out leadership rival Jeremy Hunt and brought in a team of prominent Brexiteers.

Along with resignations, it means more than half of his predecessor’s cabinet are no longer in their roles.

Johnson’s cabinet includes Sajid Javid as chancellor and Priti Patel as home secretary among an array of prominent Brexiteers to receive top jobs.

Dominic Raab is foreign secretary and first secretary of state – effectively making him Johnson’s deputy prime minister. 

In the most eye-catching appointment of a dramatic day, arch-Brexiteer Rees-Mogg – who proved such a thorn in the side of May – entered the government as leader of the Commons.

Unusually, however, Downing Street said that he would not be a full cabinet member, although he will attend cabinet meetings.

Following his appointment, Rees-Mogg, who led the pro-Brexit Tory European Research Group (ERG), denied there had been a “Leave” takeover at the top of the new administration.

“Boris is bringing the country together, the party together, through his Cabinet appointments. It is not a Leave takeover Cabinet by any means,” he told Sky News.

However he issued a sharp warning to disgruntled former ministers plotting to thwart Johnson’s Brexit plans that it was hard to see how they could succeed.

“The Withdrawal Act means that the default position is that we leave on October 31. That would have to be changed to stop the law taking its course,” he said.

“Parliament would have to change the law and it is hard to see how that will happen.”

The dramatic reshuffle prompted speculation that he could hold a snap general election after MPs return in September – once they have finished their summer break which starts on Friday – to try to break the deadlock.