Theresa May has just demoted her new Brexit secretary

Britain's Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab. Reuters

David Davis's resignation as Brexit secretary led to speculation that Downing Street could move to take over Brexit talks from whoever succeeded him. That speculation turned out to be correct with the prime minister quietly announcing on Tuesday afternoon that the Brexit department will no longer be in charge of negotiations, with Downing Street and the Cabinet Office leading instead.

"I will lead the negotiations with the European Union, with the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union deputising on my behalf," May said in a statement.

The decision means the Brexit department will now be downgraded with staff moving over to Downing Street and the Cabinet office.

"Both of us will be supported by the Cabinet Office Europe Unit and with this in mind the Europe Unit will have overall responsibility for the preparation and conduct of the negotiations, drawing upon support from DExEU and other departments as required. A number of staff will transfer from DExEU to the Cabinet Office to deliver that."