A Whitehall shake-up could see the Ministry of Justice scrapped and some of its powers moved to the Home Office, the Daily Telegraph understands

Kit Malthouse, the policing minister, is expected to be given responsibility for sentencing in the Ministry of Justice, a government source told the Telegraph.

The move would be seen as a first step in a Whitehall shake-up to take sentencing and possibly probation out of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) altogether and given to the Home Office.

Mr Malthouse was described as a “lynchpin” of the plans by a source close to the discussions. “The long term aim is to merge the Home Office with elements of the MoJ.”

Internal discussions have taken place about replacing the MoJ with a “constitutional affairs” ministry, which would have responsibilities including judicial reform and plans for a British Bill of Rights to replace the European Convention on Human Rights.

A wider restructuring of Whitehall is increasingly expected to take place in the first half of next year, sources said this week. Meanwhile Tory MPs increasingly expect another reshuffle at the start of 2021.

Meanwhile plans for an expected merger of the £14billion international aid department into the Foreign Office are already underway.

Ministers including James Cleverly, Lord Goldsmith, Baroness Sugg and Nigel Adams have been given roles in both departments with officials expected to "shuffle" between the two. Number 10 has previously played down reports of mergers between the Foreign Office and DfID.

During last week’s reshuffle, Mr Malthouse and Chris Philp were appointed ministers in both the Home Office and the MoJ.