diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 49966b0f1..61c4aca20 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ linux (4.6-1~exp3) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
     for  minimal_swap, no_symlinks, use_hard_links and *_hook parameters in
     /etc/kernel-img.conf (Closes: #730073).
   * linux-image: postrm: Update default symlinks before running hook scripts
+  * linux-image: Make a newly installed kernel the default if the package
+    was previously removed
 
  -- Ben Hutchings <ben@decadent.org.uk>  Sat, 04 Jun 2016 18:33:11 +0100
 
diff --git a/debian/templates/image.postinst.in b/debian/templates/image.postinst.in
index 09960b85e..ebd17df89 100755
--- a/debian/templates/image.postinst.in
+++ b/debian/templates/image.postinst.in
@@ -13,12 +13,13 @@ fi
 
 depmod $version
 
-if [ -z "$2" ]; then
+if [ -f /lib/modules/$version/.fresh-install ]; then
     change=install
 else
     change=upgrade
 fi
 linux-update-symlinks $change $version $image_path
+rm -f /lib/modules/$version/.fresh-install
 
 if [ -d /etc/kernel/postinst.d ]; then
     DEB_MAINT_PARAMS="$*" run-parts --report --exit-on-error --arg=$version \
diff --git a/debian/templates/image.postrm.in b/debian/templates/image.postrm.in
index 9ba8546bd..29e9c8250 100755
--- a/debian/templates/image.postrm.in
+++ b/debian/templates/image.postrm.in
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@
 version=@abiname@@localversion@
 image_path=/boot/@image-stem@-$version
 
+rm -f /lib/modules/$version/.fresh-install
+
 if [ "$1" != upgrade ] && command -v linux-update-symlinks >/dev/null; then
     linux-update-symlinks remove $version $image_path
 fi
diff --git a/debian/templates/image.preinst.in b/debian/templates/image.preinst.in
index e723bed03..8a5658ecd 100755
--- a/debian/templates/image.preinst.in
+++ b/debian/templates/image.preinst.in
@@ -7,6 +7,12 @@ if [ "$1" = abort-upgrade ]; then
     exit 0
 fi
 
+if [ "$1" = install ]; then
+    # Create a flag file for postinst
+    mkdir -p /lib/modules/$version
+    touch /lib/modules/$version/.fresh-install
+fi
+
 if [ -d /etc/kernel/preinst.d ]; then
     DEB_MAINT_PARAMS="$*" run-parts --report --exit-on-error --arg=$version \
 	      --arg=$image_path /etc/kernel/preinst.d