Though they wouldn’t admit it, both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss have already given serious thought to the cabinet ministers they will appoint when one of them wins the Conservative leadership contest in just over a month.
Both have to factor in requests for senior roles made by the MPs who endorsed them, ensuring factions from across the party are represented in a bid to bring them together after a divisive contest, as well as considering who would fit best in each role.
With the winner inheriting a challenging situation for the Conservatives in the polls and for the country with spiralling inflation, who is sitting around the cabinet table will be of utmost importance for getting back on the road to recovery.
These are some of the figures tipped to be part of the two candidates’ top teams.
Liz Truss’s cabinet candidates
Chancellor: Kwasi Kwarteng
Truss has the support of most members of the current cabinet, who remained loyal to Johnson to the end.
Among them is the business secretary, who authored the book Britannia Unchained with Truss in 2012 and is said to be in the running to become her chancellor.
Business secretary: Simon Clarke
In a snub to his former boss, the financial secretary to the Treasury is vying with Kwarteng to lead the department.
He has called Sunak’s criticism of Truss’s tax cuts “project fear” and is supporting plans for these to happen more quickly.
If he loses out on the chancellor job, he could instead be made business secretary.
Home secretary: Thérèse Coffey
The work and pensions secretary has a no-nonsense attitude and is often deployed on morning media rounds by the government when defending a tricky issue.
Given her performance in the role and that she was part of three-MP “guard of honour” for Truss when the foreign secretary made it to the final two, she is likely to stay in cabinet.
Experienced at running a large government department, she may be handed the role of home secretary.
Education secretary: James Cleverly
One of Johnson’s staunchest defenders, Cleverly rose quickly through the ranks to become education secretary at the last reshuffle.
While his background is in the military and foreign affairs, the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, will probably stay on so he could remain in his current role.
Work and pensions secretary: Suella Braverman
Already able to attend cabinet as attorney general, Truss is also likely to offer a full cabinet job to former leadership contender Suella Braverman to consolidate support from the right of the party.
One of the roles touted for her is work and pensions secretary.
Levelling up secretary: Kemi Badenoch
If Truss keeps the title invented by Johnson, the candidate who came fourth in the leadership race would stand a good chance of a first foray into the cabinet.
Given how much untapped opportunity was part of Badenoch’s pitch, the former levelling up minister is likely to be offered to lead that department.
Brexit opportunities minister: Jacob Rees-Mogg
Rees-Mogg is another minister who also already attends cabinet.
Truss may be keen to keep him in a beefed up Brexit opportunities role, given her pledge to expedite his existing plans to repeal all retained EU law.
Rishi Sunak’s cabinet candidates
Chancellor: Steve Barclay
Having served in government under the current and previous two Conservative administrations, Barclay would be well placed to pick up a senior role from day one.
Though he stepped in as health secretary as Johnson tried desperately to fill cabinet vacancies, Barclay supported Sunak early in the race.
He has extensive experience in the Treasury and is talked of as a future chancellor.
Chief secretary to the Treasury: Mel Stride
As Sunak’s campaign manager, Stride helped steer him through the parliamentary ballots and emerge as the frontrunner.
While having been on the backbenches for the last few years, given his experience running the Treasury select committee he would be a shoo-in for chief secretary to the Treasury.
Cabinet Office minister: Oliver Dowden
The former Conservative co-chair who quit after a disastrous double byelection loss that helped bring Johnson down has also been helping run Sunak’s campaign.
Having been culture secretary and done stints in the Cabinet Office and Treasury, he is likely to make a return to the cabinet – possibly as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Justice secretary: Robert Jenrick
Sacked as a minister last year, Jenrick has been close with Sunak for some time.
The pair, along with Dowden, wrote a joint editorial in which they backed Johnson at the last leadership election and are a tight-knit trio.
Though given he was forced to abandon controversial planning reforms when communities secretary, Jenrick would probably be given another role. As a former City solicitor, justice secretary is one of those he has been talked about for.
Chief whip: Gavin Williamson
Another key figure who may be rewarded for their loyalty in helping run the whipping operation for Sunak is the former education secretary.
Williamson is known as a “master of the dark arts” – and, having been thrown out of government twice over a major security leak and the exam results chaos, he may be keen on a comeback in his role as chief whip.
Health secretary: Michael Gove
While he has yet to endorse a candidate, Gove was widely viewed as one of the most competent members of the cabinet and could be kept on.
Though sacked by Johnson for urging the outgoing prime minister to quit, Sunak could decide it is best to have an experienced pair of hands for a knotty policy brief such as health given the pressure public services are under and the increased scrutiny.
International trade secretary: Penny Mordaunt
As a peace offering, the third-placed candidate in the Tory leadership race could be given a senior role.
She was previously defence secretary and already serves as a trade minister so could go on to lead the department.
