Liz Truss has rewarded close allies Kwasi Kwarteng and Therese Coffey with top Cabinet jobs, as she culled a number of prominent Rishi Sunak supporters during a major Government reshuffle.
The new Prime Minister appointed Mr Kwarteng as Chancellor and Ms Coffey as Deputy Prime Minister and Health Secretary, as she made James Cleverly her successor as Foreign Secretary.
Suella Braverman, the former attorney general, was also appointed Home Secretary, meaning that for the first time in history none of the great offices of state are held by white men.
Meanwhile, Jacob Rees-Mogg was appointed as Business Secretary; Kemi Badenoch as International Trade Secretary; and Kit Malthouse as Education Secretary. Michael Ellis was appointed as Attorney General.
However, Ms Truss first despatched key allies of Mr Sunak to the backbenches, including Dominic Raab, the former deputy prime minister, Grant Shapps, George Eustice and Steve Barclay.
Scroll down to read about the Truss Cabinet changes as they happened.
James Heappey has been re-appointed a Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence, as Minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans.
Tom Tugendhat has been appointed as Minister of State (Minister for Security) in the Home Department.
Vicky Ford has been appointed as Minister of State (Minister for Development) in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Edward Argar has been appointed as Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office.
Michael Ellis has been appointed as Attorney General.
Chris Philp has been appointed as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Robert Buckland has been re-appointed as Welsh Secretary.
Alister Jack has been re-appointed as Scottish Secretary.
Chris Heaton-Harris has been appointed as Northern Ireland Secretary.
Michelle Donelan has been appointed as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, replacing Nadine Dorries.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan has been appointed Transport Secretary – replacing Grant Shapps.
Ms Trevelyan takes over the department at a difficult time, as the Government is locked in a battle with the unions.
Ranil Jayawardena has been appointed as the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, No10 said.
Downing Street has announced Kit Malthouse is the next Education Secretary.
Mr Malthouse was a close ally of Boris Johnson and has supported Liz Truss for the leadership.
Chloe Smith, a supporter of Liz Truss and fellow Norfolk MP, has been appointed as Work and Pensions Secretary.
It seems Chris Heaton-Harris, Boris Johnson’s Chief Whip, will be the next Northern Ireland Secretary.
We know that because Simon Coveney, the Irish Foreign Minister, has just tweeted it. Before it was announced by No10. Whoops!
Congratulations to @chhcalling for his appointment as new Sec of State for Northern Ireland. I’ve known him since we were both members of the European Parliament & I look forward to working closely with him in the coming months.
First job – a functioning executive for NI. 🇮🇪🇬🇧
Downing Street said that Kemi Badenoch has replaced Anne-Marie Trevelyan as International Trade Secretary.
Ms Trevelyan was being tipped by sources earlier today as a future Transport Secretary.
We think that Ranil Jayawardena, Michelle Donelan and Kemi Badenoch are still in Downing Street, and they have just been joined by Robert Buckland, Alister Jack and Chris Heaton-Harris. It seems likely they will receive jobs at some point tonight.
There are twelve jobs in the Cabinet that have yet to be filled:
Simon Clarke, the former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has been appointed Levelling Up Secretary, Downing Street said.
Jacob Rees-Mogg has just spoken about his new job on Sky News.
"It’s a fundamentally important role," he said. "The energy crisis is at the absolute forefront of the Government’s agenda.
"We have to help businesses and individuals and a package will be brought forward shortly."
On Ms Truss’s Government, he said: "The underlying philosophy will be the same, but Liz Truss is a different personality from Boris Johnson.
"Nobody fails to realise the size of the problem. It is an extraordinary problem."
Downing Street said Jacob Rees-Mogg has been appointed as Business Secretary.
Mr Rees-Mogg is a close ally of Ms Truss and has been working on her economic plan.
He retains his previous role.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Liz Truss has followed through on her promise and made him the first foreign leader she spoke to after being appointed Prime Minister.
He said he had invited her to Ukraine and that "attention was paid to security guarantees" during their conversation.
I became the 1st foreign leader to have a conversation with the newly elected 🇬🇧 PM @trussliz. Invited her to 🇺🇦. Thanked 🇬🇧 people for the major defense & economic aid for 🇺🇦. It's important that 🇬🇧 is ready to further strengthen it. Attention was paid to security guarantees 1/2
Jake Berry has been appointed Minster without Portfolio.
The role is expected to come attached to the Chairmanship of the Conservative Party.
Johnny Mercer’s wife has tweeted about her husband being sacked.
She said Mr Mercer, who was previously Veterans Minister, had asked Liz Truss: "Who is going to be better at this role than me?"
Ms Truss is said to have replied: "I can’t answer that, Johnny."
Felicity Cornelius-Mercer, his wife, commented online: "This system stinks and treats people appallingly. Best person I know sacked by an imbecile."
She attached a photograph of Ms Truss that has been edited to make her look like Beaker, a character from The Muppets, with blonde hair.
He asked her ‘why would you do this, who is going to be better at this role than me, which of your mates gets the job, you promised a meritocracy?’
PM – I can’t answer that Johnny
This system stinks & treats people appallingly
Best person I know sacked by an imbecile @trussliz pic.twitter.com/RZGblGA1tx
Lord True has been appointed Leader of the Lords, replacing Baroness Evans.
Penny Mordaunt has been appointed Commons Leader.
The role involves coordinating the Government’s business in the House of Commons and seeing through the timetable for legislation.
Alok Sharma has gone into Downing Street.
He is expected to retain his post as President of COP26.
Downing Street has announced that Nadhim Zahawi is the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
He also has the roles of minister for intergovernmental relations and minister for equalities.
It’s just gone 8pm, and Camilla Turner, our chief political correspondent, has a handy roundup of all the appointments so far.
Cabinet roles announced so far:
Thérèse Coffey – Health Secretary and Deputy PM
Kwasi Kwarteng – Chancellor
James Cleverly – Foreign Secretary
Suella Braverman – Home Secretary
Wendy Morton – Chief Whip
Ben Wallace – Defence Secretary
Brandon Lewis – Justice Secretary
Penny Mordaunt has been spotted on Downing Street.
Ms Mordaunt is one of the few appointments that is not yet already common knowledge in Westminster.
Many think she may emerge as Culture Secretary, but it has also been speculated she will be Leader of the House of Commons.
Brandon Lewis has been appointed Justice Secretary, Downing Street has said.
Ben Wallace, who has worked with Liz Truss on Britain’s response to the war in Ukraine in his role as Defence Secretary, has kept his job.
As my colleague Camilla Tominey reported earlier today, Wendy Morton is to take over as Chief Whip.
Downing Street confirmed the appointment just now.
Nadhim Zahawi and Ben Wallace have been spotted entering Downing Street.
Mr Zahawi is expected to be appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, while Mr Wallace is expected to remain as Defence Secretary.
Downing Street has announced Suella Braverman is the new Home Secretary.
The Northern Ireland Secretary, Brandon Lewis, has been spotted heading into No10.
Mr Lewis is expected to be appointed Justice Secretary.
James Cleverly is the new Foreign Secretary, No10 has announced.
Mr Cleverly is one of Ms Truss’s closest allies and worked with her in the Foreign Office as a junior minister.
Downing Street has said Kwasi Kwarteng has been appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Therese Coffey has been appointed Health Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, Downing Street said.
George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, has been sacked too.
He’s the fourth high-profile Rishi Sunak supporter to be sacked tonight.
It seems Liz Truss has decided to ruthlessly remove anyone who did not support her.
Greg Clark, the Levelling Up Secretary, has been sacked after just eight weeks in the job.
He tweeted that he was proud of his achievements in that time.
Mr Clark, a former Science and Technology Committee chairman, did not back either candidate in the final two of the Tory leadership race.
It’s been such a privilege to be at the helm at @luhc these last 8 weeks.
Thanks to superb teams of ministers, civil servants, colleagues in local govt and partners in business & voluntary sector we’ve done the job👇and delivered a lot more besides.
I’ve enjoyed it enormously. https://t.co/oZnTq6gxLN
Suella Braverman, who expected to be made Home Secretary, and James Cleverly, who is expected to be appointed Liz Truss’s replacement in the Foreign Office, have both gone into No10.
Still no official notice from Downing Street that anyone has been appointed.
Johnny Mercer, the minister for veterans, who also attends Cabinet, has been sacked.
Mr Mercer has posted a lengthy statement online in which he says he has "found the burden of carrying the hopes and expectations of this Nation’s finest families…extremely lonely".
He has been in office for almost two months.
"I have worked hard over the summer and will take some time out with my young family to consider my options," he said.
A personal statement.
Time for others to step up. I will be spending time with my family and doing no media requests. pic.twitter.com/8mFgIza9WL
Our parliamentary spy and Chief Political Correspondent, Camilla Turner, says that James Cleverly has been spotted heading in the direction of the Prime Minister’s parliamentary office in the House of Commons.
Mr Cleverly is tipped as the next Foreign Secretary.
Kemi Badenoch, a former leadership candidate who is expecting a Cabinet post, was also seen heading in that direction.
Next up on the list is Therese Coffey, who is likely to be appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Health Secretary.
She has just walked into Downing Street. No official appointments have been made yet.
This video tweeted by Downing Street shows Ms Truss being clapped into the building by staff, immediately after this afternoon’s speech.
Welcome to Downing Street, Prime Minister @TrussLiz. pic.twitter.com/1PXEc816Kf
Here are the latest photos of Liz Truss and her husband, Hugh O’Leary, heading into Downing Street for the first time since her appointment.
There are no prizes for guessing why Kwasi Kwarteng has just gone into Downing Street.
The Business Secretary is widely expected to be promoted to Chancellor – and will probably be the first minister Liz Truss will announce from her new team.
A source says they have just witnessed Sir Charles Walker, a senior Tory MP, congratulating James Cleverly on his imminent appointment as Foreign Secretary.
But Cleverly, a shrewd SW1 operator, knows he will not have secured the role until he is walking into the FCDO with his red ministerial briefcase in hand.
"Nothing’s happened yet….but thank you very much," he replied.
It seems that Truss is making an example of the Rishi Sunak supporters in the Cabinet by sacking them all first.
After Dominic Raab and Grant Shapps’s sackings, Steve Barclay has also announced he will be returning to the backbenches.
After 7 years in government I am returning to the backbenches. Thanks to all colleagues, both political & civil service, for their fantastic support. Wishing @trussliz & her ministerial team every success for the future.
Liz Truss has also sacked Grant Shapps, his tweet suggests.
The Transport Secretary had been tipped to remain in the Cabinet, despite supporting Rishi Sunak in the leadership race.
I am hearing that Anne-Marie Trevelyan is most likely to replace him.
It has been a privilege to serve as Transport Secretary; a job I loved. Now I look forward to being a strong, independent voice on the backbenches, developing policies that will further the Conservative cause and the interests of my constituents in Welwyn Hatfield.
Over in the US, the Americans have revealed that Joe Biden intends to call Liz Truss this afternoon and congratulate her on her appointment.
He has already tweeted welcoming her to the role.
Congratulations to Prime Minister Liz Truss.
I look forward to deepening the special relationship between our countries and working in close cooperation on global challenges, including continued support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression.
But asked if Mr Biden would request that she delays implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, the President’s spokeswoman said: "I’m not going to get ahead or speak to what he might or might not say or will say on the call.
"But he has been clear about his continued interest in Northern Ireland. "Our priority remains protecting the gains of the Belfast Good Friday agreement and pursuing peace, stability and prosperity for the people of Northern Ireland."
Some reaction to Liz Truss’s speech from Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader.
He says that he is "shocked that across the whole summer Liz Truss and the Conservatives have utterly failed to come up with any ideas to help our country through the cost of living crisis".
The party leader adds: “It is time for Liz Truss to do the right thing and cancel the winter energy price rise, then call a general election.
“The only way to end the cost of living crisis is to get the Conservatives out of power once and for all.”
More from Christopher Hope, who is perched in Parliament hoovering up as much gossip as possible.
Nothing is confirmed yet, but the word in Westminster is that Chris Heaton-Harris, former chairman of the ERG and most recently Government chief whip, will be the new Northern Ireland secretary.
It is the job that – shamefully – several senior Tories have turned down yet is so important with the Brexit talks over the Northern Ireland Protocol about to reach another crisis point, Chris writes.
Dominic Raab has tweeted that he has been sacked. He appears to be the first casualty of the Truss administration – although Nadine Dorries and Priti Patel both resigned before they were sacked yesterday.
Mr Raab was the Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary. The "DPM" job is expected to be filled by Therese Coffey, while the Justice brief will be taken on by Brandon Lewis, sources say.
Thanks to the brilliant MoJ team for all their hard work over the last year. Good luck to the new PM and her team. I look forward to supporting the government from the backbenches.
Ms Truss is now going to begin sacking those ministers from Boris Johnson’s Cabinet that she does not want to keep for her own.
As is customary, that process will take place for the next hour or so from her office in Parliament, and new appointments will begin after that from Downing Street.
Since all the jobs seem to have been sorted behind the scenes, we should expect the appointments to be over relatively quickly.
The Telegraph understands we should have a full Cabinet appointed tonight, with more junior ministers being given jobs tomorrow.
And we are underway in yet another Cabinet reshuffle, reports Christopher Hope from his usual table in Parliament’s Portcullis House.
Loads of Tory MPs scurrying back to their offices through Portcullis House right now to await the call from Liz Truss’s office to come to see her.
It normally means they will be sacked. Chris has just spotted Shailesh Vara, the Northern Ireland Secretary, on his way to Ms Truss’ office. It looks ominous for him.
Liz Truss has said the UK is facing "severe global headwinds" as a result of the war in Ukraine and the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The new Prime Minister said she was determined to stand up for freedom and democracy in the face of Russian aggression.
"What makes the United Kingdom great is our fundamental belief in freedom, in enterprise and in fair play. Our people have shown grit and determination time and time again," she said.
"United with our allies we will stand up for freedom and democracy around the world recognising the we can’t have security at home without security abroad."
Liz Truss expressed confidence that the country can rise to the challenges it faces.
Speaking in Downing Street, Ms Truss said: "We shouldn’t be daunted by the challenges we face.
"As strong as the storm may be, I know that the British people are stronger.
"Our country was built by people who get things done. We have huge reserves of talent, of energy and determination".
Liz Truss promised to pursue three early priorities as Prime Minister: implementing tax cuts and reforms, dealing with soaring energy bills and the energy supply, and putting the NHS "on a firm footing".
"As Prime Minister, I will pursue three early priorities," she said. "Firstly, I will get Britain working again. I have a bold plan to grow the economy through tax cuts and reform. I will cut taxes to reward hard work and boost business-led growth and investment."
She added: "Secondly, I will deal hands-on with the energy crisis caused by Putin’s war. I will take action this week to deal with energy bills and to secure our future energy supply.
"Thirdly, I will make sure that people can get doctor’s appointments and the NHS services they need. We will put our health service on a firm footing."
Liz Truss said she is determined to tackle the issues that have been holding Britain back for years.
The new Prime Minister said the country needs to build "roads, homes and broadband faster", with more investment in towns and cities across the country.
"I know that we have to tackle those challenges. Of course it won’t be easy but we can do it. We will transform Britain into an aspiration nation," she said.
"I will take action this day and every day to make it happen."’
Liz Truss said she is confident Britain can "ride out the storm".
Speaking from outside No 10, she said: "I’m confident that together we can ride out the storm, we can rebuild our economy and we can become the modern brilliant Britain that I know we can be.
"This is our vital mission to ensure opportunity and prosperity for all people and future generations. I’m determined to deliver."
Liz Truss paid tribute to Boris Johnson in her first speech as Prime Minister, saying that she was honoured to take over the responsibility at a "vital time" for the UK.
Speaking outside No 10, she said: "Boris Johnson delivered Brexit, the Covid vaccine and stood up to Russian aggression. History will see him as a hugely consequential prime minister.
"I’m honoured to take on this responsibility at a vital time for our country."
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