Meet faces already appointed in Rishi Sunak’s Cabinet

New UK’s Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak has begun to appoint ministers into his cabinet with a dozen of appointments already confirmed.

First to be appoint was Jeremy Hunt, who remains in his post as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Hunt was appointed chancellor by former prime minister Liz Truss 11 days ago, after turmoil in the financial markets following the mini-budget and its platform of unfunded tax cuts.

Hunt – who replaced Kwasi Kwarteng – junked nearly all of Truss’s tax cuts and is credited with having restored some confidence in the markets. As a result, he had been expected to stay on as chancellor by many pundits.

Dominic Raab was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary.

It means he returns to the roles he had under former PM Boris Johnson.

During the summer’s Tory leadership contest, Raab was among the few Sunak-backers who carried on talking him up even when Truss’ victory was all but certain.

Last week, he pledged his support for Sunak after saying that he couldn’t back Johnson as prime minister while the Partygate inquiry continued.

Next on the appointment list is Simon Hart as the new chief whip. He replaced Wendy Morton.

Hart has been the MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire since 2010 and served as Secretary of State for Wales under Boris Johnson between 2019 and 2022.

James Cleverly was re-appointed foreign secretary. Cleverly was appointed foreign secretary by Liz Truss in September. He’s been an MP for Braintree in Essex since 2015. He also served as education secretary under Boris Johnson.

Ben Wallace was also re-appointed as defence secretary. Wallace was appointed defence secretary in July 2019 and retained his post in Liz Truss’s government.

Oliver Dowden has been appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Dowden, MP for Hertsmere in Hertfordshire, was appointed by Boris Johnson as secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport in 2020.

In September 2021, he was moved to become Conservative party co-chairman and attended cabinet as minister without portfolio.

Nadhim Zahawi remains in cabinet, despite initially backing Boris Johnson in the leadership race.

He’s been made a minister without portfolio – which grants him a cabinet position with no specific responsibilities – and also party chairman, replacing Jake Berry.

Zahawi was previously Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, and before that Chancellor of the Exchequer for a short period, replacing Rishi Sunak after his resignation in the wake of the scandal that brought down Boris Johnson.

Suella Braverman was re-appointed as home secretary – less than a week after she resigned from the same role in Liz Truss’s cabinet.

She was appointed home secretary, one of the top jobs in government, in September when Liz Truss became the new prime minister. But she resigned last Wednesday over a “mistake”.

In her resignation letter she said she had sent an official document from her personal email address, and breaking the ministerial code.

Sunak also appointed Grant Shapps as the new business secretary, replacing Jacob Rees-Mogg who resigned earlier.

The Welwyn Hatfield MP and former transport secretary was fired by Liz Truss when she became PM in September, after he backed Rishi Sunak in the summer’s leadership contest.

Penny Mordaunt was re-appointed as leader of the House of Commons. She will also assume the role of Lord President of the Council again, as the presiding officer of the Privy Council.

Mordaunt was Sunak’s leadership rival both over the summer and last week, following Liz Truss’s resignation. She finished in third on her first go and second on Monday.

Gillian Keegan has been appointed secretary of state for education in the new cabinet.

Liz Truss appointed Keegan to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in September this year.

She was previously minister of state for care at the Department of Health and Social Car Care from September 2021 to September 2022.

Keegan has been the Conservative MP for Chichester since May 2017.

Mel Stride has been given the role as Secretary for the Department for Work and Pensions. Stride was elected as the MP for Central Devon in 2010. In 2019 he was appointed Leader of the House of Commons under Theresa May when she was prime minister.

He backed Sunak in both Tory leadership elections this year.

Thérèse Coffey is the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Elected as an MP in 2010, Coffey was only appointed as Liz Truss’s deputy prime minister last month.

Coffey also held the position of health secretary – which has just gone to Steve Barclay.

Steve Barclay, the former chief of staff to Boris Johnson, has been re-appointed as health secretary.

He briefly did the role between July and September this year, before he was removed from the position by Liz Truss.

He takes over from Thérèse Coffey, who has just been appointed environment secretary.

Michael Gove has been confirmed as the levelling up secretary. He has been an MP for Surrey Heath for almost 20 years.

The 55-year-old is an experienced cabinet minister and has held a number of prominent roles in government, including education secretary, justice secretary and – most recently – levelling up secretary under Boris Johnson.

However, he was sacked from that role in July, after urging Johnson to resign as prime minister.
-Reported supported by BBC