LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would announce changes to her ministerial team soon, with media reports saying her foreign, finance, interior and Brexit ministers would keep their jobs in a reshuffle starting on Monday.

May said ministerial changes were necessary following the departure of her long-standing ally and de-facto deputy prime minister Damian Green, who she forced to resign in December after he made misleading statements about pornography found on an office computer.

“Obviously, Damian Green’s departure before Christmas means that some changes do have to be made, and I will be making some changes,” she told the BBC in an interview filmed on Saturday for broadcast on Sunday.

May said the reshuffle would come soon, but did not give any further details.

The Sunday Times said Foreign Minister Boris Johnson, Finance Minister Philip Hammond, Interior Minister Amber Rudd and Brexit minister David Davis would not lose their jobs in the reshuffle. The report did not cite its sources.

May is also expected to announce a new first secretary of state to replace Green - an important post with responsibility for maintaining unity in a cabinet still divided over the best approach to Brexit.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt had been widely seen as the favourite for the post, although reports have suggested that she is reluctant to move him in the midst of an NHS winter crisis.

The Sunday Times said changes were aimed at bringing younger women and non-white lawmakers into the cabinet in attempt to appeal to improve the party’s image and regenerate support among voters.

May also said she was abandoning plans to give lawmakers a vote on overturning a ban on fox hunting with dogs -- one of several promises she made during last year’s snap election which went down badly with voters.

The Sunday Times said the ministers who were expected to lose their jobs or move to different roles included Conservative Party chairman Patrick McLoughlin, education minister Justine Greening, business minister Greg Clark and Andrea Leadsom, the government’s leader in the lower house of parliament.

Unlike the previous resignations of Michael Fallon and Priti Patel - when consequent changes were kept to a minimum - Green’s departure is expected to trigger a wider ministerial re-jig.

Downing Street sources indicated that it would continue into a second day on Tuesday with the middle-ranking and junior ministerial appointments.

Education Secretary Justine Greening, Conservative Party chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin, Business Secretary Greg Clark and the Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom were among those said to be vulnerable.

The Sunday Telegraph reported that Greening was fighting to hold on to her position, posting a series of tweets highlighting her achievements in the education brief, twice declaring “school standards are rising.”

Downing Street sources sought to play down the reports, describing them as “speculation” and “guesswork.”

It is thought that May will take the opportunity to bring forward some more junior ministers, with Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis and Justice Minister Dominic Raab among those tipped for promotion.

After running a poorly-received campaign at a national election last year that badly damaged her authority, May is leading a delicately balanced minority government tasked with delivering Britain’s exit from the European Union. She is also under pressure to tackle a range of domestic policy problems.