For the first time in history, none of the Great Offices of State – Prime Minister, Chancellor, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary – is held by a white man.
On Tuesday night, Therese Coffey was promoted to Deputy Prime Minister as part of the most diverse Cabinet ever assembled. Liz Truss also named Coffey as UK’s Health Secretary.
She appointed her key ally, Ghanaian-born Kwasi Kwarteng, to the Treasury, tasked with delivering tax cuts and devising solutions to help families deal with the energy crisis.
Suella Braverman, whose parents are of Indian origin, was appointed Home Secretary, while James Cleverly, whose mother is from Sierra Leone, was appointed Foreign Secretary.
Ben Wallace will remain as Defence Secretary, a critical position as the war in Ukraine rages on.
Brandon Lewis had been predicted to be promoted, and he got it in the form of Justice Secretary.
It was reported that a number of MPs turned down the position of Northern Ireland Secretary, which is never a popular job but is even less so now that talks on the post-Brexit Northern Ireland protocol are set to resume. Ms Truss eventually persuaded former Brexit minister Chris Heaton-Harris to accept the position.
The new Prime Minister needed to find a role for Penny Mordaunt, who finished third in the Conservative leadership election. After reportedly turning down a number of positions, she was rewarded with the role of Leader of the House of Commons, a position previously held by former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith.
Another key Truss ally, Jacob Rees-Mogg, was promoted to the powerful position of Business Secretary. He will be in charge of the government’s efforts to reduce people’s energy prices, working closely with Mr Kwarteng.
Lord True was appointed to the equivalent position in the House of Lords. He was the Cabinet Office official who commissioned legal advice for Boris Johnson on the privileges committee.
Wendy Morton was appointed Chief Whip in the House of Commons.
Another staunch Truss supporter, Chris Philp was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Jake Berry, chairman of the Conservative Party’s Northern Research Group, has been appointed minister without portfolio and chairman of the Conservative Party.
Simon Clarke, another Truss supporter, was promoted from Chief Secretary to the Treasury to Levelling Up Secretary.
Mr Clarke was Mr Sunak’s deputy when he was Chancellor, and his decision to back Ms Truss and her tax-cut plans have served him well.
Ms Truss was also eager to promote former leadership rival Kemi Badenoch to the Cabinet. She accepted the position of International Trade Secretary on Tuesday night, where she will be in charge of signing post-Brexit trade deals. Despite not making it to the final two Tory leadership candidates, her anti-woke policies impressed members.
Chloe Smith was appointed Work and Pensions Secretary, which oversees Britain’s welfare system.
The position of Education Secretary was reportedly difficult to fill, but Ms Truss ultimately chose Kit Malthouse.
Grant Shapps’ departure from the Cabinet as transport secretary created a vacancy for Anne-Marie Trevelyan to fill. She is dealing with a difficult inbox, topped off by a series of rail union strike threats.
Michelle Donelan has returned to the Cabinet as Culture Secretary, replacing Nadine Dorries, despite being a staunch Truss supporter.
Former trade minister and key Truss ally Ranil Jayawardena has been appointed as the new Environment Secretary.
Sir Robert Buckland will continue as Welsh Secretary, and Alister Jack will continue as Scottish Secretary. Sir Robert was a supporter of Mr Sunak until three weeks ago when he switched sides.
Michael Ellis, who becomes Attorney General, is the only Sunak supporter in Truss’ cabinet.
Tom Tugendhat, who also ran for prime minister, has been appointed minister for security; James Heappey has been reappointed minister for the armed forces and veterans; Vicky Ford has been appointed minister for development in the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office; and Edward Argar has been appointed paymaster general and minister for the Cabinet Office.
Liz Truss’s Cabinet in full
- Kwasi Kwarteng – Chancellor of the Exchequer
- James Cleverly – Foreign Secretary
- Suella Braverman – Home Secretary
- Therese Coffey – Health Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister
- Ben Wallace – Defence Secretary
- Jacob Rees-Mogg – Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary
- Simon Clarke – Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary
- Kemi Badenoch – International Trade Secretary
- Anne-Marie Trevelyan – Transport Secretary
- Chloe Smith – Work and Pensions Secretary
- Kit Malthouse – Education Secretary
- Brandon Lewis – Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor
- Ranil Jayawardena – Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary
- Michelle Donelan – Culture Secretary
- Nadhim Zahawi – Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- Chris Heaton-Harris – Northern Ireland Secretary
- Alister Jack – Scottish Secretary
- Robert Buckland – Welsh Secretary
- Wendy Morton – Chief Whip
- Penny Mordaunt – Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
- Michael Ellis – Attorney General
- Alok Sharma – President for Cop26
- Jake Berry – Minister without portfolio
- Chris Philp – Chief Secretary to the Treasury
- James Heappey – Minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans
- Tom Tugendhat – Minister of State (Minister for Security) – Home Department
- Vicky Ford – Minister of State (Minister for Development) – FCDO
- Edward Argar – Paymaster General and Minister – Cabinet Office
- Lord True – Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords