Comings and goings in full as Rishi Sunak embarks on Cabinet reshuffle

The new Prime Minister is assembling his team.

Wendy Morton, Jacob Reees-Mogg and Kit Malthouse (Kirsty O’Connor/Stefan Rousseau/PA)

New Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has begun reshuffling his Cabinet.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the incomings and departures we have seen so far:

Incomings

Jeremy Hunt – Chancellor of the Exchequer

Jeremy Hunt will stay as Chancellor of the Exchequer after being appointed by former prime minister Liz Truss following the sacking of Kwasi Kwarteng.

In a post on Twitter, he 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.”

Suella Braverman – Home Secretary

Mr Sunak has appointed Suella Braverman as Home Secretary less than a week after she was out of Liz Truss’s government over a breach of the ministerial code.

Ms Braverman’s backing for Mr Sunak was a key sign that the right wing of the Conservative Party was turning towards the former chancellor.

Dominic Raab – Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister

Dominic Raab has once again been appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary.

Mr Raab was rewarded for his loyalty to Mr Sunak with a return to frontline politics after he was sent packing as a high-profile casualty of Ms Truss’s cabinet reshuffle.

Penny Mordaunt – Leader of the House of Commons

Penny Mordaunt, the two-time Tory leadership contender, will remain in her post as Leader of the House of Commons.

Ms Mordaunt backed out of the most recent leadership contest on Monday paving the way for Mr Sunak to become PM unchallenged.

Michael Gove – Levelling Up Secretary

Michael Gove has returned to the Cabinet as Levelling Up Secretary after being dramatically sacked by Boris Johnson in July.

He denied that he was a “snake” after being described as such by No 10 sources following his sacking as communities secretary.

James Cleverly – Foreign Secretary

James Cleverly has been re-appointed as Foreign Secretary despite being an old ally of Mr Johnson and staunch backer of Liz Truss.

Mr Cleverly backed Mr Sunak in the most recent leadership contest, saying he was the candidate with “most experience” at the top of Government.

Gillian Keegan – Education Secretary

Gillian Keegan became the fifth Education Secretary in just under four months as part of the reshuffle.

In her time as an education minister, she was criticised after sharing photographs of herself in France as the A-Level results drama under Gavin Williamson unfolded.

Ben Wallace – Defence Secretary

Ben Wallace will remain as Defence Secretary after overseeing the UK’s efforts in support of Ukraine.

Mr Wallace said he was “leaning towards” Mr Johnson if he stood to be leader and has been a vocal backer of an increase in defence spending.

Grant Shapps – Business Secretary

Grant Shapps was appointed Business Secretary less than a week after replacing Ms Braverman as Home Secretary.

Mr Shapps was a loyal backer of Mr Sunak in both of the recent leadership contests.

Simon Hart – Chief Whip

Simon Hart was brought in as Chief Whip to restore party discipline, with Mr Sunak having warned the party: “Unite or die.”

He takes over from Wendy Morton following the confusion over a fracking vote in the Commons last Wednesday.

Nadhim Zahawi – Minister without portfolio and Conservative Party Chair

Nadhim Zahawi initially announced he would be backing Mr Johnson to return as PM, before switching allegiance to Mr Sunak on the same day after the former leader said he would not be entering the contest.

The former chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said in a Twitter post: “A day is a long time in politics…”

Oliver Dowden – Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Oliver Dowden previously backed Mr Sunak in the race to replace Mr Johnson as leader before reiterating his support in the most recent contest.

The loss of crunch by-elections in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton triggered Mr Dowden’s resignation as party chairman in Mr Johnson’s Government.

Kemi Badenoch – International Trade Secretary

Kemi Badenoch returned as International Trade Secretary and was also handed the role of minister for women and equalities.

She previously urged Tory backbenchers to get behind Ms Truss in her time as PM, despite the fallout from the mini-budget.

Steve Barclay – Health Secretary

Loyal Sunak backer Steve Barclay replaced Therese Coffey as Health Secretary as part of the reshuffle.

He previously held the role of Brexit secretary under Theresa May and Mr Johnson.

Therese Coffey – Environment Secretary

Appointed as health secretary in Ms Truss’s reshuffle, Therese Coffey was demoted to the role of Environment Secretary in Mr Sunak’s Government.

Ms Coffey was one of Ms Truss’s closest friends in Westminster.

Gavin Williamson – Minister without Portfolio

Gavin Williamson has been appointed a minister of state without portfolio in the Cabinet Office and will attend Cabinet meetings.

The role comes as a return to Cabinet for Mr Williamson who was removed as Education Secretary by Mr Johnson in September 2021 after criticism over his handling of exams during the coronavirus pandemic.

Previously he held the role of Defence Secretary from 2017 to 2019 under Ms May but she sacked him over allegations he leaked confidential National Security Council information relating to Huawei’s potential involvement in the UK’s 5G network.

John Mercer – Veterans’ Affairs Minister,/strong>

Johnny Mercer will return to the role of Veterans’ Affairs Minister.

Mr Mercer, who has been challenged over his expenses several times, held the position from 2019 until April 2021, when he was removed from the role, saying he was fired for his disagreements on the scope of the proposed Overseas Operations Bill.

He took up the role again during Mr Johnson’s in July 2022 while a flood of ministers were resinging over the Chris Pincher and partygate scandals.

However, as she took office in September, Ms Truss removed him from the post and folded his responsibility for veteran care into James Heappey’s role as defence minister.

Mark Harper

Mark Harper has been appointed Transport Secretary in what comes as a huge promotion for the Forest of Dean MP.

Mr Harper has previously held roles in Government, including the Chief Whip under David Cameron.

He was also a vocal critic of the Goverment’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, advocating for looser rules and lockdowns and he also was among those to hand in a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson in April in the wake of the partygate scandal.

Outgoings

Jacob Rees-Mogg – Business secretary

Boris Johnson ally Jacob Rees-Mogg quit as business secretary after conceding he would not get a job in Rishi Sunak’s Cabinet despite recanting his claim that Rishi Sunak is a “socialist”.

A source close to Mr Rees-Mogg told PA: “He knows he was very close to the previous two regimes and it didn’t seem likely he was going to be appointed in the new Cabinet.

“He’s happy to support the Prime Minister from the backbenches.”

Ranil Jayawardena – Secretary for environment, food and rural affairs

Ranil Jayawardena was appointed environment secretary in September after previously serving as Minister for International Trade.

In a letter to Mr Sunak, he said: “My congratulations on your appointment. I know that you wish for a new team to join you in HM Government, so I write to stand aside.

“I will continue to work hard for the people of north east Hampshire, where it continues to be an enormous honour to serve as their local Member of Parliament. As it has been since 2015, I remain on their side.”

Sir Jake Berry – Conservative Party chairman

The outgoing Conservative Party Chairman, who was a champion of former prime minister Mr Johnson’s levelling-up agenda, was despatched as Tory Party chairman.

In a post on Twitter, he said: “It has been an honour to serve as the Conservative Party chairman, but all good things must come to an end.

“I relish the opportunity to serve our great party and my constituents from the backbenches once again.”

Robert Buckland – Secretary of state for Wales

The outgoing Wales secretary was the first cabinet minister to switch to Liz Truss from Rishi Sunak in the previous leadership election.

In his previous role as justice secretary, he said he would resign from the Government if they broke the law “in a way that I find unacceptable” as Mr Johnson’s faced growing criticism over his Brexit plans.

Announcing his departure, Mr Buckland said: “I am grateful to you for our meeting earlier. At my request, I am writing to submit my resignation from the government.

“You can be assured of my support from the backbenches as we deal with the economic and security crisis that faces us.”

Kit Malthouse – Education secretary

Kit Malthouse, who was a deputy under Mr Johnson when he was London mayor, announced his departure as education secretary.

In a Twitter post, Mr Malthouse said: “As I leave the Department for Education, I do so with profound gratitude to officials, my private office team, and brilliant advisers, who all worked so hard.

“I hope my successor can harness their commitment to the most important mission in Whitehall: the future and welfare of our children.”

Simon Clarke – Levelling-up secretary

Simon Clarke, who was chief secretary to the Treasury under Rishi Sunak when he was chancellor, indicated he is out of the role of levelling-up secretary.

He tweeted: “It has been a great privilege to serve as Secretary of State @luhc, working alongside some terrific people to #LevelUp our communities, just as it was before that as Chief Secretary @hmtreasury.

“It has only been while holding these positions that I’ve come to appreciate the full weight of responsibility that ministers bear, and we are deeply fortunate to be supported in this by our civil servants and special advisers (and never forget them on days like today).”

Chloe Smith – Secretary of state for the Department of Work and PensionsChloe Smith is no longer DWP secretary despite supporting Mr Sunak in the leadership contest.

In a Twitter post, Ms Smith said: “It has been a privilege to serve as the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and I would like to thank all of the brilliant staff at @DWP for their dedication to helping people into work and protecting the most vulnerable.

“I look forward to supporting @RishiSunak from the backbenches & continuing to work hard for my constituents in Norwich North.”

Wendy Morton – Chief whip

Wendy Morton has revealed she is no longer chief whip and is returning to the backbenches under Rishi Sunak’s new government.

She tweeted: “Heading to the back benches from where I will continue to represent the constituents, businesses and communities of Aldridge-Brownhills.”

It comes almost a week after Ms Morton’s status as chief whip was in the balance amid speculation she had resigned over the fracking vote in the Commons last Wednesday, only for Downing Street to insist she remained in the post hours later.

Brandon Lewis – Justice secretary

Brandon Lewis, one of the longest serving cabinet ministers, also announced his return to the backbenches.

He said: “Our party is at a crossroads. We now have an opportunity to reunite and rebuild, and we must take it. We must come together and deliver the mandate we were given by the British people.

“We have a duty to the country to do so, at a time of economic hardship for so many. It is no exaggeration to say that the future of the Conservative Party and everything we stand for is at stake if we do not.

“You will have my support from the backbenches in addressing the economic crisis we face, bringing our party together and delivering on the promises we put forward in the 2019 manifesto, on which we won such an overwhelming majority.”

Vicky Ford – Foreign minister

Vicky Ford announced she had left her role as minister of state in the Foreign Office.

She tweeted: “There is no greater honour than representing the UK overseas. I am sorry to leave the @fcdo but wish my successor and @RishiSunak all the very best.

“Thank you to all the amazing FCDO staff across the world. It has been wonderful to work with you.”