Writing on Twitter, McVey said: “I’m very sorry to be relieved of my duties as Housing Minister.

“I wish my successor the very best & every success. I’m very grateful to the Prime Minister for having given me the opportunity to serve in his government & he will continue to have my support from the back benches.”

The other ministers to be fired were Northern Ireland secretary Julian Smith, business secretary Andrea Leadson, environment secretary Theresa Villiers and Attorney General Geoffrey Fox.

In another twist, Sajid Javid has resigned as chancellor following orders from Boris Johnson to sack his team of aides, which Javid refused to do.

The new chancellor is Rishi Sunak, who was chief secretary to the Treasury and a junior housing minister only seven months ago.

Commenting on the housing minister role, John Phillips, national operations director at Just Mortgages, said: “Housing policy requires a clear sense of direction, and that has been sadly lacking in recent years as the ministerial revolving door has spun at a furious pace.

“Now that there is a government with a stable majority, I hope the new housing minister stays in place long enough to take on some of the long-term issues that have held the housing market back. It’s been easy to blame Brexit uncertainty over the last few years but the problems are more deep-seated than that.

“It’s not just about the latest initiative to help first-time buyers – however important that may be. There needs to be concerted action across government to boost supply and make better use of existing stock so that everybody can live somewhere that is right for their needs.”