Rishi Sunak has officially stepped into his new role as Prime Minister, so who is in the new Cabinet helping him do the job?
Rishi Sunak has some tough tasks ahead of him - uniting the Conservative Party, addressing the cost of living crisis and tackling the UK's economic challenges to name just a few. His appointment has many asking questions about his credentials and those of the rest of his Cabinet, from what is Rishi Sunak's net worth and how he voted on Brexit to how did Nadhim Zahawi make his money.
But he won't be alone in leading the country, as his first order of duty was to assemble a new cabinet. From how many cabinet ministers are there to who'll be taking over each role, we've got all the details on who are the faces of Rishi Sunak's government.
Who is in the new Cabinet?
Taking on the top jobs in the new Cabinet are Jeremy Hunt, Dominic Raab, Suella Braverman and James Cleverly. All in all, there are a total of 33 appointees that Rishi Sunak has made - though many are familiar faces.
Ahead of the reshuffle, former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg resigned, while Brandon Lewis quit as Justice Secretary, Wendy Morton left her post as Chief Whip and Chloe Smith stepped down as Work and Pensions Secretary. Read on to find out who replaced them.
An honour to have been one of the longest serving Cabinet ministers - having done eight ministerial roles, in five departments, under four Prime Ministers. The new PM will have my support from the back benches to tackle the many challenges we face - as a Party and as a country. pic.twitter.com/ulZjpcHkWkOctober 25, 2022
Jeremy Hunt - Chancellor
Previously: Foreign Secretary
It won't come as a surprise to many that Jeremy Hunt has kept his job as Chancellor, a post which he was given after former PM Liz Truss sacked her first appointee, Kwasi Kwarteng, following a heavily criticised mini budget.
Not only did Hunt reverse the majority of Truss' economic proposals - policies Rishi Sunak had warned against - he is also seen as a stabilising figure who will keep the markets calm.
He's a long-serving Conservative MP, first elected in 2005 to represent his constituency of South West Surrey and since then has held a number of senior government positions, including culture secretary, foreign secretary and health secretary. His time in the latter was marred by a policy decision that prompted medics to strike on two days, which left emergency care uncovered for the first time in the health service's history.
Taking to Twitter, Jeremy Hunt has said: "Honoured to serve our country, and @RishiSunak, as Chancellor of the Exchequer. It is going to be tough. But protecting the vulnerable - and people's jobs, mortgages and bills - will be at the front of our minds as we work to restore stability, confidence and long-term growth."
Dominic Raab - Deputy PM and Justice Secretary
Previously: Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Deputy Prime Minister
Dominic Raab has returned to both the roles he held under Boris Johnson: justice secretary and therefore Lord Chancellor, and deputy Prime Minister. Other roles Raab has held in government include Brexit minister and minister for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
He's been a loyal Sunak supporter, having backed him in the previous two leadership elections and defended Sunak over accusations that he betrayed Boris Johnson for the chance to become Conservative leader. He told The Times: "Anyone who thinks Rishi stabbed Boris in the back is kidding themselves. Rishi worked hard to make the relationship with the prime minister work; he explained why in the end he couldn’t stay."
Raab has been the Conservative MP for Esher and Walton since May 2010.
Steve Barclay - Health Secretary
Previously: Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Steve Barclay held the position of Health Secretary for a brief period before Boris Johnson left office, following the resignation of Sajid Javid. Prior to this, he served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and minister for the Cabinet Office, and has also been chief secretary to the Treasury and secretary of state for Exiting the European Union during his time as an MP.
During his previous stint as health secretary, Barclay approved a 4.5% pay increase for NHS staff, including salaried GPs. He was first elected to Parliament in 2010, as the Conservative MP for North East Cambridgeshire.
On Twitter, he has said: "Delighted to return to @DHSCgovuk as Secretary of State. Looking forward to working with colleagues across health and social care."
Suella Braverman - Home Secretary
Previously: Attorney General
Suella Braverman has been reappointed to the role she held in Liz Truss' government, despite being forced to resign after she sent secure information from her private email, therefore breaching the ministerial code.
Sunak's decision to reappoint Braverman has not come without criticism, with Labour accusing the new PM of "putting party before country" in an attempt to win over the right wing members, while Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael said it "makes a mockery of Rishi Sunak's claims to be bringing integrity to Number 10".
However, foreign secretary James Cleverly has defended the decision, saying Braverman has "very, very clear ideas about how we improve the performance of the Home Office," adding, "She has shown a willingness to take responsibility for what happened - but ultimately [the PM] has decided that he wants to see the agenda that she has set out, that very important crime fighting agenda, back in the heart of government."
Suella Braverman has been in Parliament since 2015, when she was elected as Conservative MP for Fareham. During her time as home secretary, she showed unwavering support for the Rwanda deportation scheme - something that Rishi Sunak has also supported in the past - and pursued the Public Order Bill, which will crackdown on disruptive protests.
James Cleverly - Foreign Secretary
Previously: Secretary of State for Education
Cleverly has kept his role as foreign secretary. Prior to taking over Liz Truss' old role, Cleverly was appointed as education secretary by Boris Johnson after a slew of ministers resigned in protest to his handling of the Chris Pincher scandal. He took over from Michelle Donelan - who held the post for just 35 hours. Donelan has now been appointed as culture secretary.
Since he was first elected as the Conservative MP for Braintree in May 2015, Cleverly has served as a minister for Middle East and North Africa and minister of state in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, meaning he has spent much of the last year working under Liz Truss either in the Foreign Office or in Cabinet.
The decision by Sunak to keep Cleverly in his post may be an attempt to help unite the Conservative Party, as Cleverly was an ally of Truss. He is also a Brexiteer and well-liked by the Eurosceptic wing of the Party.
Taking to Twitter, Cleverly said after his re-appointment "I’m honoured to be reappointed as Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs. Continuing to protect UK interests overseas and support to our friends and allies around the world".
Gillian Keegan - Education Secretary
Previously: Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign Office
Gillian Keegan has replaced Kit Malthouse as education secretary, meaning the sector now has its fifth secretary of state in four months. Keegan is the MP for Chichester, first elected in 2017, and has previously held roles in the Foreign Office and Department of Health and Social Care.
She takes on the role of education secretary as the National Association of Head Teachers reveals 50% of heads say their school will be in deficit this year - with almost all expecting to be in the red by next September- according to The Guardian.
Some of the issues Keegan will be taking on include potential teacher strikes, recovery from the effects of the pandemic on education and a depleting teacher supply pipeline, as well as the funding issues.
On Twitter, she has said of her appointment: "I’m deeply honoured to have been appointed as Secretary of State for Education by the PM @RishiSunak. Education transforms lives - I know that talent is spread equally around the country and I will work tirelessly to ensure opportunity is also."
Michael Gove - Levelling Up Secretary
Previously: Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Michael Gove is taking back the role of levelling up secretary from Simon Clarke, a role that Boris Johnson sacked him from after Gove told the former PM that he should resign.
He then put his support behind Rishi Sunak in the leadership campaign, resulting in him being left out of Truss' Cabinet. However, rather than disappear onto the backbenches, he made noise during the annual Conservative Party conference when he slammed the Government's mini budget, branding it as "not Conservative". He said: "Ultimately, at a time when people are suffering … when you have additional billions of pounds in play, to have a principal decision, the headline tax move, cutting tax for the wealthiest, that is a display of the wrong values."
Gove is a long-standing Member of Parliament, having served as MP for Surrey Heath since 2005, and has held a number of senior roles in the Cabinet, including education secretary, justice secretary and environment secretary.
Ben Wallace - Defence Secretary
Previously: Minister of State for Security at the Home Office.
Ben Wallace has kept his position as defence secretary, which he has held since Boris Johnson first became Prime Minister, in July 2019. He is one of the longest-standing MPs in the new cabinet, having first been elected to the UK House of Parliament in 2005 - though he first entered politics as a Member of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. He was a favourite among MPs and Conservative Party members to run for PM in both leadership contests, but he decided not to participate.
He has spent the past few months dealing with the war in Ukraine, and said on Twitter: "It is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead Defence again. I am very grateful to the new Prime Minister for appointing me, and I look forward to working with @RishiSunak to deliver a safe and prosperous United Kingdom."
Other new Cabinet ministers:
- Business, energy and industrial strategy secretary: Grant Shapps
- Work and pensions secretary: Mel Stride
- Transport Secretary: Mark Harper
- Environment secretary: Therese Coffey
- COP26 president: Alok Sharma
- Climate minister: Graham Stuart
- Culture secretary: Michelle Donelan
- Trade secretary: Kemi Badenoch
- Minister for Security: Tom Tugendhat
- Armed forces and veterans minister: Johnny Mercer
- Attorney General: Victoria Prentis and Michael Ellis
- Northern Ireland secretary: Chris Heaton-Harris
- Scotland secretary: Alister Jack
- Wales secretary: David TC Davies
- Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster: Oliver Dowden
- Development minister: Andrew Mitchell
- Immigration minister: Robert Jenrick
- Chief whip: Simon Hart
- Lord president of the council and leader of the House of Commons: Penny Mordaunt
- Lord privy seal, and leader of the House of Lords: Lord True
- Minister without portfolio: Nadhim Zahawi, Gavin Williamson
- Chief secretary to the Treasury: John Glen
- Paymaster General and minister for the Cabinet Office: Jeremy Quin
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