But after losing her majority she has lost so much authority that she had to leave virtually all of the major Cabinet ministers in place, with the notable exception of bringing in Mr Gove.

Mrs May has faced calls to soften her Brexit negotiating position, with Mr Hammond, the Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and the DUP all favouring a “jobs first” Brexit with the emphasis on the economy rather than cutting migration.

But Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader and Brexit cheerleader, said: “Gove has been brought back because he is a keen Brexiteer and so people don’t think we are abandoning the Brexit process.

“There is no watering down of Brexit. Even Labour has said we are not going to stay in the single market. It helps having Michael Gove in the Cabinet because he is very clear that we should take control of our borders, our laws and our money.”