Sunak hails ‘united team’ as new cabinet meets for first time
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has hailed his “strong and united team” as his new-look cabinet featuring Lord David Cameron met for the first time after a dramatic reshuffle.
Sunak yesterday appointed a number of new — and familiar — faces into top cabinet roles, including making the former Prime Minister, now Lord, Cameron, his foreign secretary.
Taking aim at the Tory right-wing, Sunak appointed loyalists and moderates into key jobs ahead of a crunch week with fresh inflation stats and a Supreme Court Rwanda ruling U2014 — while Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who kept his job, will deliver the Autumn Statement next week.
The Prime Minister said: “Our purpose is nothing less than to make the long-term decisions that are going to change our country for the better.
“I know that this strong and united team is going to deliver that change for everybody.”
Victoria Atkins was promoted into cabinet as health secretary, taking responsibility for the NHS and resolving staff strikes, as the UK heads into winter.
While former CCHQ staffer and transport minister Richard Holden was promoted to Conservative Party chairman. He replaces Greg Hands, who is reportedly set to become the new minister for London — after Paul Scully was sacked from the role yesterday.
Former foreign secretary James Cleverly moved across to run the Home Office after Suella Braverman was sacked first thing on Monday morning.
She has warned she has “more to say in due course” about her departure from government.
And former health secretary Steve Barclay became secretary of state for the environment, replacing Therese Coffey who resigned her post and left government yesterday.
Also attending No10’s weekly cabinet meetings are the newly promoted chief secretary to the Treasury, Laura Trott, and the so-called ‘Minister for Common Sense’ Esther McVey — officially titled cabinet office minister without portfolio — who is a conciliatory move to the right.
John Glen, previously in Trott’s role, will now attend cabinet as paymaster general.
Key junior appointments included City Minister Andrew Griffith moving to the Department for Science and Technology, under Michelle Donelan.
He is replaced in the economic secretary to the Treasury job, with responsibility for financial services policy, reform and regulation, by former HSBC banker Bim Afolami.