Theresa May is planning a New Year reshuffle to shore up her flailing power base after her top ally was forced out.

She will reportedly shuffle key jobs on Monday 8 January followed by more junior roles on Tuesday 9 January.

The Tory leader avoided carrying out a full scale reshuffle last year despite losing three key ministers - amid fears it would destabilise her.

But today she declared: "I'm not a quitter. I'm in this for the long term."

Now five of her 21 Cabinet ministers have been tipped for the sack and others could be shunted to new roles, it is claimed.

But the Cabinet Office position she sacked Remainer ally Damian Green from, a key role overseeing Brexit committees, is still vacant - needing a promotion.

The reshuffle could also see several sackings, with Justine Greening, the Education Secretary, Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom , Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and party chairman Patrick McLoughlin all thought to be under threat.

Mrs May will hope it shores up her position after admitting she is still vulnerable to her party's opinion, telling the BBC: "Obviously I serve as long as people want me to serve."

So who could be going up and who could be getting the boot? Here's the latest gossip swirling round Westminster.

Staying put?

The top jobs

Boris Johnson is said to be staying put

The Prime Minister still has a fragile majority and backbenchers are still brooding over her disastrous general election.

So multiple reports say she doesn't have the political muscle to move the three great 'offices of state' - Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Chancellor Philip Hammond or Home Secretary Amber Rudd.

Brexit Secretary David Davis is also staying put, according to reports.

None of that's guaranteed, of course.

The Sunday Mirror today reports insiders saying Jeremy Hunt will end up as Home Secretary, with Amber Rudd becoming Chancellor.

There had also been reports Mr Johnson would be given a 'souped-up Brexit job', but this prompted fears from his allies who feared demotion, and those of Mr Davis who feared he would be sidelined.

An ally of Mr Davis told The Daily Telegraph : “The role of the Brexit Secretary is being impinged on right, left and centre. I am seriously concerned that David Davis is being marginalised."

Going down?

Chris Grayling, Transport Secretary

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REUTERS)

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling was missing in action this month as rail commuters endured the biggest annual fare rise in five years.

He was accused of "running scared" as it emerged he had jetted out of the country on an ill-timed two-day trip to Qatar.

Mr Grayling has been one of the most frequently mentioned candidates for the chop.

Fury has grown over his decision to let Virgin Trains East Coast relinquish its franchise on the London to Edinburgh line three years early, a decision critics brand a "bailout".

His position may have been made more secure by a high-profile demand for his removal from Labour peer Lord Adonis - as Theresa May won't want to be seen to be sacrificing a colleague in response to pressure from political opponents.

Asked at a regular Westminster media briefing whether Mr Grayling would remain in post for the foreseeable future, Mrs May's official spokesman said: "Chris Grayling is working hard and doing a good job as Transport Secretary."

But he has a long record of failure, with a string of his flagship policies in his previous job having to be thrown on the scrapheap.

He was Justice Secretary for less than three years yet his prisoner book ban, court fees and a training deal with Saudi Arabia have all been ditched.

A £23m prisoner tracking scheme he unveiled was also axed, while the Court of Appeal slammed a legal aid cut that forced domestic violence victims to show evidence to get a lawyer.

Sir Patrick McLoughlin, Conservative chairman

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Getty)

Patrick McLoughlin came under pressure to resign after a comedian was able to get within feet of Theresa May to hand her a fake P45 during her keynote speech at the party's conference in Manchester.

As Tory Party chairman he was in charge of the arrangements for the Tory conference including security.

The prank was just the beginning of a humiliating speech for Mrs May who coughed her way through struggling at some points to get out her words.

And that's not to mention the Tories' disastrous election campaign.

Justine Greening, Education Secretary

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Ms Greening is believed to be vulnerable because, as a source told the Guardian, she is seen to have “sided too strongly with the trade unions instead of embracing Tory reforms”.

And a source complained to the Sunday Times that she has a "patronising tone".

After her appointment in July 2016, she was widely believed to be sceptical of the prime minister’s flagship plan for more grammar schools, despite publicly having to support the controversial policy before it was ditched.

She also scrapped plans to force all schools in underperforming areas to become academies.

Ditching her would get rid of one of the only gay Cabinet ministers. Ms Greening has also pushed for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in schools.

Greg Clark, Business Secretary

Greg Clark (
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REX/Shutterstock)

Reports of Boris Johnson's Brexit role would see him moving to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy department and its believed Greg Clark might be a casualty of the move.

Mr Clark is a Remain supporter and the PM has striven to keep the balance between Brexit-backing MPs and Remain supporters in the cabinet as equal as possible.

Andrea Leadsom, Leader of the Commons

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Ms Leadsom, who stood for the leadership against the PM, has been accused of positioning herself prominently as a potential leader - including turning up to the site of the Grenfell Tower fire when Mrs May failed to.

And the ardent Brexiteer is said to have given the Prime Minister a blunt verdict on her key speech in Florence last year.

"Parts of the speech are disastrous, Theresa", she is said to have complained - dropping the convention to call Mrs May "Prime Minister" and leaving colleagues stunned.

She's been branded "dead wood" by one Tory source to the Sunday Times.

And going up?

Jeremy Hunt, Health Secretary

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Getty Images Europe)

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has been identified as a potential candidate for Mr Green's former post at the Cabinet Office.

It is unclear whether Mrs May will also appoint a new First Secretary of State after her long-time ally quit before Christmas over pornography found on his office computer.

Mr Hunt, who has spent five years at the top of the health service, is reportedly keen for a new role.

An ally told the Sunday Times: "Jeremy is a peacemaker and a negotiator, and that's what's needed to deal with the rest of the cabinet and the devolved administrations."

One of the longest-serving Health Secretaries in history, Mr Hunt has presided over unprecedented strikes by junior doctors over their hated new contract as part of his push for a "seven-day NHS". He has also been accused regularly of misusing statistics.

Brandon Lewis, Immigration Minister

Home Office minister Brandon Lewis has confirmed the new passports will be blue (
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REX/Shutterstock)

Brandon Lewis is tipped to take over from Sir Patrick McLoughlin as party chairman according to the Sunday Times.

He has been immigration minister since June and previously had roles in the department for communities and local government.

Despite representing Great Yarmouth which voted Brexit by 71.5%, Mr Lewis supported Remain in the referendum but has said he respects the result of the vote.

Anne Milton, Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills and Minister for Women

MP Anne Milton

The Prime Minister’s 21-strong Cabinet currently only has five female members and Anne Milton is one of those who might get a promotion in the reshuffle.

The former nurse is being tipped for the health secretary role if Jeremy Hunt is given the role of Cabinet Office.

Nusrat Ghani

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Birmingham Post and Mail)

The backbench MP's name has been thrown up in a few newspapers. Elected in 2015, the 45-year-old is seen a rising star and helped write the review of the Tories' 2017 general election disaster.

Rishi Sunak

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Evening Gazette)

Also seen as a rising star of the 2015 intake, the Oxford-educated Brexit-backer holds William Hague's old seat in Yorkshire.

Kemi Badenoch

One of the few new Tory MPs elected in June 2017, she gave a powerful speech introducing Theresa May at the Tory conference saying: "I have never experienced prejudice in the Conservative Party."

James Cleverly

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PA)

The cheeky backbencher has made a name for himself with regular media appearances and pithy quotes skewering the Labour Party. Now the 48-year-old MP for Braintree since 2015 is being tipped for higher office.

Others who could be promoted

A slew of names have been mentioned in reports in the Sunday newspapers.

Justice minister Dominic Raab could be set for a promotion if the Sun on Sunday is to be believed.

While the Sunday Times tips a string of female ministers for ascent to the Cabinet including Margot James,Harriet Baldwin, Claire Perry and Sarah Newton.

Uber-posh Old Etonian Jacob Rees-Mogg and ex-Army officer Tom Tugendhat, both tipped for leadership before, could be given jobs, it's claimed.

And Lucy Frazer, Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Victoria Prentis could complete a roster of new women MPs promoted into junior ministerial ranks, the Sunday Times said.