ROBERT Buckland dismissed talk that he is about to be ousted from Boris Johnson's cabinet as "tittle-tattle".

An article in the Daily Mail on Saturday suggested the South Swindon MP could be relieved of his duties as justice secretary during an autumn reshuffle.

International trade secretary Liz Truss and defence secretary Ben Wallace are the other names reported to be on a hit list drawn up by the PM's top adviser Dominic Cummings over leaks to the media.

When pressed on the issue by Kay Burley on Sky News on Monday, Mr Buckland reaffirmed his commitment to the role he took on 12 months ago.

He said: “I don’t comment on tittle-tattle and I can assure you that all the relationships I have are extremely good ones.

“I enjoy the role. I feel that I bring not just my political, but also my 20 years worth of experience in the justice system to this role.

“It’s something that I feel I can make a huge contribution to. I’ve taken full advantage of that in the last year and I very much hope I can carry on doing the work I love.”

The MP has also faced criticism over mixed government messaging after speaking to Burley about face coverings.

He was asked about home secretary Priti Patel's decision to wear one outside a building in France but then take it off for a meeting indoors.

Mr Buckland countered: “People are still learning how to use face coverings.

“If I was going to a corner shop, I think slapping a face covering on is a sensible and safe thing to do.

“People need to be trusted to come to their own judgements.

"The common sense of the British people is something that politicians underestimate at their peril."

He added: “I wear a face mask in an enclosed space, when I’m going somewhere I’ve not been before, so that might be a small shop or a pharmacy.

“I carry one with me, I think it’s important I do my bit, not only to prevent inadvertent transmission but to also reassure other people that the space they are in is as safe as possible.”

“The point I’m making is that we need to give enough confidence to those people yet to venture out.”

And on ITV News Mr Buckland attempted to clear up the work from home message, which was clouded by a Q&A involving the PM on Friday night.

He said: “The guidance is work from home if you can, but individual office places and employers are now issuing their own guidance and that will vary from workplace to workplace.”