New UK PM appoints his cabinet

Some have retained their current positions while others have assumed new roles

Newly-appointed UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conducted a major cabinet reshuffle on his first day on the job, keeping Jeremy Hunt in the crucial position of chancellor of the exchequer. James Cleverly and Ben Wallace retained their jobs as foreign and defense secretaries, respectively, while Dominic Raab became the deputy prime minister.

Hunt was first appointed by former PM Liz Truss and reversed her unpopular tax cuts. He was the first of Sunak’s appointments on Tuesday, as the new prime minister promised to “place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda” and to “fix” Truss’ economic mistakes.

Wallace has been serving as defense secretary since July 2019, when he was appointed by former PM Boris Johnson. Compared to Wallace, Cleverly is a fresher face, only heading the Foreign and Commonwealth office since early September. He has previously served as secretary of state for education.

Meanwhile, Dominic Raab has been appointed deputy prime minister and justice secretary, both of which are roles he held in 2021-2022 under Boris Johnson’s premiership.

In April 2020, when Johnson was admitted to intensive care due to Covid-19, Raab was first secretary of state, and therefore briefly took on running the country.

Suella Braverman has returned as home secretary less than a week after her resignation over a breach of ministerial code in the midst of the political turmoil that saw Truss step down after just 45 days in office.

Sunak also found a place in his government for his Tory leadership rival, Penny Mordaunt, who kept her position as leader of the House of Commons. Media reports suggest, however, that Mordaunt was eyeing the position of foreign secretary and is unlikely to be happy with her current status.

Some key figures from the previous government have lost their positions, most noticeably Jacob Rees-Mogg, who resigned as business secretary earlier on Tuesday and was not given a new job in Sunak’s government.