Dominic Cummings has said a gang of children’s cartoon characters would do a better job than the current cabinet, ahead of the expected reshuffle on Thursday.

Several members of Johnson’s 31-strong cabinet could be axed in the shake-up.

Asked outside his London home about the cabinet this morning, Dominic Cummings said: “PJ Masks will do a greater job than all of them put together.”

In the Disney cartoon, the young friends transform into superheroes named Catboy, Owlette and Gekko during the night to fight villains.

Cummings was asked by the BBC about the HS2 rail-link, which the prime minister is expected to give the go-ahead to later today. 

He is reported to be opposed to the decision and said, in reference to the PJ Masks cartoon: “The night time is the right time to fight crime.”

Big hitters including Chancellor Sajid Javid and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab are seen to be safe in the reshuffle.

But Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers and Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom are rumoured to be out the way out.

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox and Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg are also seen to be in trouble.

Nicky Morgan, the culture secretary, has confirmed she will leave the cabinet. She stayed on in post after the election after being elevated to the House of Lords.

Michael Gove has been tipped to take over as president of the COP 26 UN climate change summit being held in Glasgow in November.

Ahead of the reshuffle it has been reported several women could lose their ministerial jobs.

Caroline Nokes, the chair of the Commons women and equalities committee, warned Johnson against ending up with a cabinet “filled with men”.

The former Tory immigration minister told an event in parliament last week there was “no pipeline” for women to climb up the ranks of government.

It has also been suggested the prime minister plans to elevate MPs from the so-called red wall seats the Tories took from Labour.