Prime Minister Liz Truss has rewarded those who supported her campaign and close allies with the top Cabinet jobs. Here is the new-look Cabinet in full.
Deputy Prime Minister and Health Secretary – Therese Coffey
In a nod to her new role, during Ms Truss’s maiden speech as Prime Minister, Ms Coffey was standing closest to the door of Number 10 among dozens of MPs gathered on Downing Street in the pouring rain on Tuesday evening. The former work and pensions secretary is considered one of Ms Truss’s closest friends in Westminster.
Chancellor of the Exchequer – Kwasi Kwarteng
One of the few survivors of Boris Johnson’s Cabinet and a long-term ally of Ms Truss, Mr Kwarteng has been promoted from Business Secretary to Chancellor. The former financial analyst at JPMorgan Chase and other investment banks takes the lead on the economy from Ms Truss’s leadership competitor Rishi Sunak.
Foreign Secretary – James Cleverly
Ms Truss has chosen former Territorial Army second lieutenant Mr Cleverly as her successor in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). He takes the top post leading the Government’s response to the war in Ukraine after serving only briefly as Education Secretary during the dying days of Mr Johnson’s premiership.
Home Secretary – Suella Braverman
The former attorney general replaces Priti Patel in the Home Office. Ms Braverman ran against Ms Truss in the Tory leadership race, criticising what she called “woke rubbish” and pledging to take the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary – Brandon Lewis
Mr Lewis, whose resignation as Northern Ireland secretary piled pressure on Mr Johnson to resign from No 10, replaces Sunak supporter Dominic Raab as Justice Secretary. Mr Lewis initially backed Nadhim Zahawi in the leadership race before pledging his support to Ms Truss.
Defence Secretary – Ben Wallace
Mr Wallace remains in the post he first took on under Mr Johnson in 2019, as he plays a vital role in supporting Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine’s fight against Vladimir Putin’s invasion. He was once widely tipped as a front-runner to replace Mr Johnson before announcing he had decided not to stand in the leadership contest.
Mr Wallace has won admirers in Westminster for his straight-talking and straightforward approach, particularly among Tory MPs who pressed for the UK to increase its defence spending, although cuts to the size of the Army remain a cause for concern.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – Nadhim Zahawi
Mr Zahawi goes into the history books as the second shortest serving Chancellor of the Exchequer after ascending to the role in the wake of Mr Sunak’s dynamite resignation in July, clocking up just 63 days. His new role puts him in charge of running the Cabinet Office, and he takes over from new Education Secretary Kit Malthouse.
Mr Zahawi, who threw his hat in the ring for the leadership before being eliminated in the early rounds, was widely celebrated as vaccines minister during the pandemic, before later taking on the role of Education Secretary.
Levelling Up, Housing and Communities – Simon Clarke
Mr Clarke, who played a key role in the Truss campaign, has been promoted from being a Treasury minister to Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary. He takes over from Greg Clark, who was appointed to the role when Michael Gove was sacked by Mr Johnson in July.
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – Jacob Rees-Mogg
One of the earliest and most vocal supporters of Ms Truss’s bid for Number 10, Mr Rees-Mogg has been moved from Brexit to business secretary. An ardent Brexiteer, Mr Rees-Mogg has defended Ms Truss’s credentials for the movement after she voted Remain in the referendum.
The father-of-six has worked in finance in Hong Kong and London, establishing his own investment management company in 2007.
International Trade – Kemi Badenoch
Ms Badenoch will be serving in the Cabinet for the first time, after surprising many by reaching the final four in the Tory leadership contest. The former equalities minister has been outspoken on “woke” issues such as opposing gender-neutral toilets but did not voice support for any of her rivals once she dropped out of the leadership bid.
Like Ms Truss, the former director of the Spectator magazine has argued on the side of slimming down the state.
Work and Pensions Secretary – Chloe Smith
Ms Smith replaces new Health Secretary Ms Coffey in the role. As a fellow Norfolk MP she was an early supporter of Ms Truss in the leadership campaign.
The former minister for disabled people was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2020, later revealing in June last year that she had been given the all-clear.
Education Secretary – Kit Malthouse
The former crime and policing minister will be the fourth education secretary in just over two months, and the fifth in the past year. A loyal ally to Ms Truss, Mr Malthouse takes the post after it was rumoured to have been saved for an earlier Tory leadership hopeful, Ms Badenoch.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary – Ranil Jayawardena
Mr Jayawardena is the UK’s first non-white environment secretary. The former international trade minister replaces George Eustice.
Transport Secretary – Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Former international trade secretary Ms Trevelyan replaces Grant Shapps to take over the transport brief. She is the sixth transport secretary since 2010 and the 13th politician to have Cabinet-level responsibility for transport since 1997.
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary – Michelle Donelan
Ms Donelan, who spent 36 hours as Mr Johnson’s education secretary before resigning in his final hours before he agreed to stand down, takes over the role of culture secretary from Nadine Dorries.
Ms Dorries earlier confirmed that she had been asked to stay on but had decided to return to the backbenches.
Northern Ireland Secretary – Chris Heaton-Harris
Mr Heaton-Harris replaces Sunak supporter Shailesh Vara, who became the shortest-serving Northern Ireland secretary since the post was created in 1972. The former chief whip was previously a transport and Foreign Office minister.
Wales Secretary – Robert Buckland
Mr Buckland remains in post, having held the position since July. He previously served as justice secretary from 2019 to 2021 and initially supported Mr Sunak in the leadership race before switching sides to back Ms Truss.
Scotland Secretary – Alister Jack
Mr Jack remains in post, having taken on the role in 2019 when Mr Johnson became Prime Minister. He remained neutral throughout the Tory leadership election but later added he regretted Mr Johnson had been forced out of office.
Leader of the House of Commons – Penny Mordaunt
Ms Mordaunt was one of Ms Truss’s closest rivals in the leadership race, failing to make it to the final stage after a jump in support for the now Prime Minister. A Navy reservist, she became the first woman to serve as Defence Secretary in 2019, but her time there was destined to be short and under Mr Johnson she was reshuffled into more junior, and less high-profile, roles.
Cop26 President – Alok Sharma
Mr Sharma remains in the role he first took on in 2021. He is a former international development secretary and business secretary.
Leader of the House of Lords – Lord True
The former Cabinet Office minister replaces Baroness Evans in the role. She had held the position since 2016.
Minister without portfolio and Conservative party chairman – Jake Berry
The Truss-backing chairman of the Northern Research Group of Tory MPs returns to Government after a two-year absence. He was previously minister for the Northern Powerhouse from 2017 to 2020.
Attorney General – Michael Ellis QC
The former paymaster general takes on the role of principal legal adviser to the Government. Mr Ellis takes over from now Home Secretary Suella Braverman, having served in the role for six months last year when Ms Braverman took maternity leave.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury – Chris Philp
The former culture minister, who resigned from Mr Johnson’s Government in July, takes over from new Levelling Up Secretary Mr Clarke. Mr Philp, MP for Croydon South, has previously told how the NHS saved the lives of his twins after they were born at 25 weeks in 2013.
Security minister in the Home Office – Tom Tugendhat
Another of Ms Truss’s former leadership rivals, Mr Tugendhat has been given his first Government job, attending Cabinet as a security minister. A Remainer in 2016, the former soldier was a trenchant critic of Mr Johnson.
Chief Whip – Wendy Morton
The former transport minister will attend Cabinet as chief whip, making her responsible for party discipline in the Commons. She is the first woman to serve as Conservative chief whip.
Climate minister in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy- Graham Stuart
Mr Stuart, a former Foreign Office and international trade minister, will attend Cabinet as climate minister.
Minister for the armed forces and veterans in the Ministry of Defence – James Heappey
Former soldier Mr Heappey, who was already a defence minister, will attend Cabinet as minister for the armed forces and veterans.
Development minister in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Vicky Ford
Chelmsford MP Ms Ford will attend Cabinet as development minister.
Paymaster General and minister for the Cabinet Office – Edward Argar
Mr Argar, a former health minister who chose to break from the Johnson Government, will attend Cabinet as paymaster general and minister for the Cabinet Office.
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