Liz Truss has begun put together her first cabinet as she begins her first days in Downing Street.
The new Conservative party leader had a number of vacancies in her top team before she even entered office, after both Priti Patel and Nadine Dorries announced they would not remain in their roles.
Home secretary Patel announced on Monday that she would be resigning her post once a replacement was selected, while culture secretary Dorries claimed this morning she had turned down an offer to stay in government.
Security minister Stephen McPartland also tendered his resignation on Monday, claiming that he had agreed to serve in the post for the “interim period” and felt it was “time to step aside for someone who wants to pursue the role on a more permanent basis”.
Here are all the appointments:
Kwasi Kwarteng – chancellor
Kwasi Kwarteng was widely expected to be appointed as chancellor, having been a close ally of Truss throughout her campaign to become party leader.
He started his ministerial career as PPS to then-chancellor Philip Hammond in 2017, and later became a minister in the Department for Exiting the EU. Kwarteng was appointed business secretary in 2021 under Boris Johnson, having been appointed as a minister of state in the department in 2019.
Suella Braverman – home secretary
Suella Braverman was the first person to announce her bid to become prime minister on the day before Boris Johnson resigned.
She was ultimately knocked out of the race in the early rounds, and eventually gave her backing to Truss.
She has served as attorney general since September 2021, and was previously chair of the influential European Research Group.
James Cleverly – foreign secretary
James Cleverly had been tipped for a top cabinet job, having been a staunch supporter of Truss throughout the leadership campaign.
He worked with Truss at the Foreign Office as minister for Europe and North America, and was most recently the edducation secretary, having been promoted to the job in July 2022 following a string of resignations from Boris Johnson’s government.
His other senior jobs have included as co-chair of the Conservative Party, and as a junior minister in the Department for Exiting the European Union.
Thérèse Coffey – health secretary & deputy prime minister
Thérèse Coffey, a key supporter of Truss, was so hotly tipped to be appointed as health secretary and deputy prime minister that her Wikipedia page was updated with the job title before the news was announced. She previously served as pensions secretary under Boris Johnson, and has also held ministerial roles in both Theresa May and David Cameron’s administrations.
Ben Wallace – defence secretary
Ben Wallace is one of the only remaining Secretary of State to keep his position from Boris Johnson’s administration.
The former army officer remains as defence secretary, having been widely praised for his response to the conflict in Ukraine.
He also served in both David Cameron’s and Theresa May’s governments, as a Northern Ireland minister and security minister respectively.
Jacob Rees-Mogg – business secretary
Jacob Rees-Mogg had held the role of Commons leader under Boris Johnson, before being appointed to the role of Brexit opportunities minister in early 2022. Another backer of Truss during her leadership campaign, he was widely expected to be given the role of business secretary prior to his appointment.
Other appointments include:
- Brandon Lewis – justice secretary
- Nadhim Zahawi – chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- Penny Mourdant – Commons leader
- Lord True – Lords leader
- Jake Berry – minister without portfolio
- Alok Sharma – COP26 president
- Simon Clarke – levelling up, communities and housing secretary
- Kemi Badenoch – trade secretary
- Chloe Smith – work and pensions secretary
- Kit Malthouse – education secretary
- Ranil Jayawardena – environment secretary
- Anne-Marie Trevelyan – transport secretary
- Michelle Donelan – culture secretary
- Chris Heaton-Harris – Northern Ireland secretary
- Alister Jack – Scotland secretary
- Robert Buckland – Wales secretary
These ministers will also attend cabinet:
- Wendy Morton – chief whip
- Chris Philp – Treasury chief secretary
- Michael Ellis – attorney general
- Edward Argar - paymaster general
- Vicky Ford – development minister
- Tom Tugendhat – security minister
- James Heappey – armed forces minister
- Graham Stuart – climate minister
Here are all the sackings:
Dominic Raab
Justice Secretary Dominic Raab wrote on Twitter that he would not be remaining in cabinet, claiming that he “[looked] forward to supporting the government from the backbenches”.
The Esher and Walton MP, who backed Rishi Sunak in the leadership race, had previously been heavily critical of Truss during the campaign.
Grant Shapps
Grant Shapps, another Sunak backer who served as transport secretary under Boris Johnson, also revealed on Twitter that he had been removed from his post. He said “it has been a privilege to serve as transport secretary; a job I loved”, and that he will “look forward to being a strong, independent voice on the backbenches”.
Stephen Barclay
Stephen Barclay confirmed on Twitter he had been removed as health secretary, having only held the post for two months. He was appointed to the role after his predecessor Sajid Javid resigned over his concerns regarding Boris Johnson’s leadership. He thanked “all colleagues, both political [and] civil service, for their fantastic support” during his time in government.
Andrew Stephenson
Andrew Stephenson was appointed to the role of party chairman after his predecessor Oliver Dowden resigned following a brutal double by-election loss.
Writing on Twitter, he said it had been an “honour” to have held the post “ during the leadership contest [and] to campaign in 87 different seats”.
Johnny Mercer
Johnny Mercer was the first person to be appointed to the role of veteran’s affairs minister in July, having himself lobbied for the post to be created.
In an emotional post on Twitter, he stated he had been “relieved of his duties” and would now “consider his future” in politics. He added that he felt he would “never possess the qualities required for enduring success in politics as it stands”.
Other sackings include:
- George Eustice – environment secretary
- Shailesh Vara – Northern Ireland secretary
- Nigel Adams – minister of state (minister without portfolio)
Eleanor Langford and Caitlin Doherty are reporters for CSW's sister title PoliticsHome, where this story first appeared.