New cabinet: Who is in Liz Truss’s top team?

Liz Truss became prime minister on 6 September 2022, replacing Boris Johnson who was in post for slightly more than three years.

She was not the first choice of Conservative MPs – but she was the clear winner in a ballot of Tory members, who had the final say.

Truss has been a government minister since 2012, and held cabinet posts under David Cameron, Theresa May and Johnson, most recently as foreign secretary.

A Remain supporter at the 2016 EU referendum, who began her political journey at Oxford University as a Liberal Democrat, she is now an enthusiastic Brexiteer who has vowed to get back to traditional tax-cutting Tory values.

Truss, who has two children, was elected to Parliament as MP for South West Norfolk in 2010 after serving as deputy director of think tank Reform.

Thérèse Coffey has been appointed health secretary, taking over from Stephen Barclay who had only been in the role for two months, and will also be deputy prime minister.

The former work and pensions secretary is a long-time friend of Liz Truss and was closely involved in her leadership campaign.

Coffey, who was elected MP for Suffolk Coastal in 2010, previously served in a number of roles including environment minister, Commons deputy leader and assistant whip.

A devout Roman Catholic, she was asked about her views on abortion after the recent US Supreme Court ruling and said the law was not going to change in the UK – although she added she would prefer people not to have abortions.

The former Mars and BBC employee is a member of the Campaign for Real Ale with a love of karaoke, and lists her interests as watching football, gardening and music.

Kwasi Kwarteng, a key ally of Liz Truss, has been appointed chancellor, replacing Nadhim Zahawi who only took the role after Rishi Sunak resigned in July.

Of Ghanaian heritage, Kwarteng won a scholarship to Eton at the age of 13 and went on to study history at Cambridge University, eventually earning a PhD in British history. He was also part of a series-winning team on University Challenge.

He became an MP in 2010 – the same year as Truss – and the two share a commitment to free market economics.

In January 2021, he became the first black Conservative cabinet minister when Boris Johnson made him business secretary.

The MP for Spelthorne, in Surrey, he worked as an analyst in financial services and a journalist before entering politics.

James Cleverly has become foreign secretary, taking over the new prime minister’s former department.

He had been education secretary since July but was a minister in the Foreign Office, with responsibility for Europe and North America, when Russia invaded Ukraine in February.

The son of a midwife and a small business owner, he was privately educated and was a member of the London Assembly, where he became an ally of Boris Johnson.

Theresa May made him party chairman and Johnson initially promoted him to the cabinet as minister without portfolio before demoting him in his February 2020 reshuffle.

The father-of-two, who has spoken recently of his wife’s diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer, has been MP for Braintree in Essex since 2015. He served in the Territorial Army, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Suella Braverman is one of the big winners in Liz Truss’s first cabinet, replacing Priti Patel as home secretary.

Having run for the leadership herself, Braverman, an enthusiastic Brexit supporter, declared her support for her former rival soon after being eliminated from the contest.

She has been rewarded with a promotion from the role of attorney general, who attends cabinet, to one of the biggest jobs in it.

Last year, after Braverman announced she was expecting her second child, the government updated the law so that she – and future ministers – could take six months’ maternity leave without having to resign.

Braverman has been MP for Fareham in Hampshire since 2015, but before that was a barrister specialising in cases involving public bodies including her new department, the Home Office.

Ben Wallace remains defence secretary, a post he has held since July 2019 and in which he has earned praise for his response to the Ukraine crisis.

Once considered a favourite to succeed Boris Johnson, he surprised many by deciding not to stand in the leadership contest and backed Truss after she reached the last round.

A former ski instructor, Wallace trained at Sandhurst before joining the Scots Guards as a platoon commander.

During his eight-year spell in the Army, he served in Germany, Cyprus, Belize and Northern Ireland where he helped thwart an IRA bomb attack.

He is MP for Wyre and Preston North and has been in the Commons since 2005. He has also been a member of the Scottish Parliament.

Nadhim Zahawi has been named chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – responsible for running the Cabinet Office, the department that supports the prime minister.

He had been chancellor of the exchequer for two months having been promoted when Rishi Sunak resigned – before that he was education secretary.

Zahawi, who will also be equalities minister, first entered the cabinet in September 2021 after overseeing the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine.

A former child refugee who fled Iraq with his parents in the 1970s, Zahawi co-founded the market research firm YouGov and is now believed to be one of the richest politicians in the Commons.

The father-of-three, who was elected as MP for Stratford-on-Avon in May 2010, had hoped to replace Boris Johnson but did not get the backing of enough Tory MPs to run.

Simon Clarke has been promoted to the full cabinet as levelling up, housing and communities secretary, taking over from Greg Clark, who replaced Michael Gove in July.

He was previously chief secretary to the Treasury but chose to support Liz Truss for the leadership rather than his former boss Rishi Sunak.

The MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland was previously a minister in the housing, communities and local government department and describes himself as a lifelong Boro fan.

Clarke, who has agoraphobia, is a qualified solicitor who worked as a policy specialist on health and education before being elected in 2017.

Jacob Rees-Mogg has been given the role of business secretary after being one of the first MPs to back Liz Truss for the leadership.

One of the Conservative Party’s highest profile Brexiteers, he was previously in the cabinet as Brexit opportunities and government efficiency minister and before that had been an attending member as Commons leader.

Before becoming an MP, Rees-Mogg worked in finance, originally based in Hong Kong and later moving back to London. He set up his own investment management company in 2007.

The father-of-six was elected MP for North East Somerset in 2010 and describes himself as an avid cricket fan.

Kemi Badenoch has entered the cabinet as international trade secretary after surprising many by reaching the last four in the leadership contest.

The former minister in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and equalities minister, who did not endorse any of her rivals in the leadership race, replaces Anne-Marie Trevelyan.

Badenoch, who has been outspoken on issues such as gender-neutral toilets which she opposes, stood on an “anti-woke” platform and argued for the state to be slimmed down.

The former software engineer worked in banking and later as a director of the Spectator magazine before being elected to the London Assembly.

She became MP for Saffron Walden in Essex in 2017, and lists her interests as including engineering and technology, social mobility and integration.

Chloe Smith replaces new Health Secretary Thérèse Coffey as work and pensions secretary.

She had been a minister in the department since September 2021 and was an early supporter of Liz Truss’s leadership bid.

In June 2021 the mother-of-two announced she had been given the all clear from breast cancer after her diagnosis the previous November and says she is now back to full health and full of energy.

A keen cyclist, Smith highlights her interest in transport and her work to help reduce youth unemployment in her constituency of Norwich North.

Before entering parliament in 2009 – following a by-election sparked by the resignation of the sitting Labour MP after the expenses scandal – she worked for accountancy and professional service firm Deloitte.

Alok Sharma will stay on as president for COP26, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, working in the Cabinet Office.

The former business secretary and international development secretary did not reveal who he was supporting in the leadership race.

The qualified chartered accountant worked for accountancy and professional service firm Deloitte before spending 16 years in banking.

The father-of-two has been in parliament since being elected MP for Reading West in 2010.

Brandon Lewis is in the cabinet for a third time, this time in the role of justice secretary, replacing Dominic Raab.

The former Northern Ireland secretary, who resigned in July, initially backed Nadhim Zahawi for the leadership but endorsed Liz Truss at the start of August.

He had previously been party chairman and minister without portfolio in Theresa May’s cabinet and served as a minister in several departments under May, David Cameron, Boris Johnson.

A qualified barrister and former company director, Lewis was a borough councillor in Brentwood for 10 years – five as leader – before entering parliament.

The father-of-two, who became Great Yarmouth MP in 2010, took up triathlon the year after he was elected and has completed two London Marathons.

Kit Malthouse replaces new Foreign Secretary James Cleverly as education secretary.

The former chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, responsible for running the Cabinet Office, did not say who he was supporting in the leadership race.

He came to the fore in the Brexit debate, when his name was put to a so-called compromise plan to replace Theresa May’s proposed Northern Ireland backstop with “alternative arrangements”.

Malthouse was a deputy mayor of London from 2008, serving under Boris Johnson, and became MP for North West Hampshire in 2015.

A chartered accountant who has run a number of small businesses, the father-of-three lists his interests as including gardening, reading and watching modern dance.

Ranil Jayawardena has become environment secretary, taking over from George Eustice.

He was previously a minister in the international trade department, working for Liz Truss before she became foreign secretary, and was an early supporter of her leadership bid.

Jayawardena, who has three children, used to work for Lloyds Bank and was also a councillor in Hampshire.

He entered the Commons as MP for North East Hampshire in 2015.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan has become transport secretary, replacing Grant Shapps.

She had previously been international trade secretary, replacing Liz Truss in the role in 2021, and before that had been international development secretary but lost her place in the cabinet when the department was scrapped.

An outspoken Brexiteer who resigned from a previous junior ministerial role in 2018 in protest at Theresa May’s Brexit withdrawal deal, she supported Truss in the leadership race.

The former chartered accountant entered the Commons as MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed in 2015 and describes herself as having a passion for singing.

Chris Heaton-Harris has been promoted to the cabinet as Northern Ireland secretary, replacing Shailesh Vara who only took on the role in July.

The former chief whip, who could attend cabinet in that role, did not say who he was supporting in the leadership race. He was previously a transport and Foreign Office minister.

Before becoming a politician, Heaton-Harris ran his family’s wholesale fruit and vegetable business in New Covent Garden Market.

He is also a qualified football referee and referees on the Northamptonshire Combination League.

The former MEP, who describes himself as a fierce Eurosceptic, was elected MP for Daventry in 2010.

Alister Jack remains secretary of state for Scotland in Liz Truss’s first cabinet, a role he has held since Boris Johnson became prime minister in 2019.

The former government whip did not reveal who he supported in the leadership contest.

Before entering parliament as MP for Dumfries and Galloway in 2017, Jack was a businessman who founded tent-hire and self-storage companies.

Jack, who has three grown up children, is also a dairy farmer and grows Christmas trees.

Robert Buckland remains secretary of state for Wales, continuing in the role he took on after Simon Hart’s resignation in July.

He had previously been in the cabinet, as justice secretary, between July 2019 and September 2021 and is also a former solicitor general.

Buckland initially supported former Chancellor Rishi Sunak for the leadership but switched his endorsement to Liz Truss in the middle of August.

The former barrister and Crown Court recorder was elected MP for South Swindon at the second attempt in 2010, overturning a Labour majority.

Buckland, who has twin children, was born in Llanelli and says his interests include music, wine, political history and watching rugby and cricket.

Penny Mordaunt has returned to the cabinet as leader of the House of Commons, responsible for delivery of the government’s legislative programme, replacing Mark Spencer.

She endorsed Liz Truss after nearly beating her into the final two of the Conservative leadership race.

Most recently a trade minister, the naval reservist made history when she became the UK’s first female defence secretary in 2019 and had also been in cabinet in 2017 as international development secretary.

The former magician’s assistant is perhaps best known outside Westminster for appearing on ITV’s celebrity diving show Splash!

Before becoming MP for Portsmouth North in 2010 she was a press officer for Kensington and Chelsea Council and the Freight Transport Association, and a director of the Big Lottery Fund and Diabetes UK.

Lord True has been named leader of the House of Lords, responsible for delivery of the government’s legislative programme in the Upper House.

A former Cabinet Office minister, he replaces Baroness Evans who had held the position since 2016.

Before being made a life peer in 2010, True had been leader of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and before that had worked in John Major’s policy unit when he was prime minister.

A fluent Italian speaker, who has previously lived and studied in the country, he lists his interests as including history, gardening and sport.

Michelle Donelan has been appointed culture secretary, giving her a second chance to make her mark in cabinet following her resignation two days into the job of education secretary in July.

The former higher and further education minister replaces Nadine Dorries, having backed Liz Truss after initially supporting her former boss Nadhim Zahawi and then Penny Mordaunt in the leadership race.

Previously a government whip, Donelan worked in the media and entertainment industry before entering parliament, including a period as communications manager at professional wrestling firm WWE.

The MP for Chippenham, first elected in 2015, says she enjoys walking her dog in her limited spare time.

Jake Berry has joined the cabinet as minister without portfolio and is also Conservative party chairman, responsible for party administration and campaigning, replacing Andrew Stephenson.

He was previously Northern Powerhouse minister but left the government in a reshuffle in 2020 and now chairs the Northern Research Group, representing many of the Tory MPs who won seats in traditional Labour heartlands in 2019.

Berry initially supported Tom Tugendhat in the leadership contest but backed Liz Truss when she reached the final two at the end of July.

The Liverpool-born former solicitor, who specialised in housing and planning law before entering Parliament, won the Lancashire seat of Rossendale and Darwen from Labour, in 2010.

Wendy Morton has been appointed chief whip, responsible for party discipline and ensuring Conservative MPs vote along party lines, and will attend cabinet.

The former assistant whip backed Liz Truss at the start of the leadership contest and replaces Chris Heaton-Harris in the role.

Morton, who has also been a transport and Foreign Office minister, says her interests include walking, cookery, art deco and ceramics.

She was first elected MP for the West Midlands constituency of Aldridge-Brownhills in 2015, having missed out to Truss’s rival Rishi Sunak in a bid to become the party candidate for Richmond in 2014.

Chris Philp has been appointed chief secretary to the Treasury, attending cabinet, and takes over from new Levelling Up Secretary Simon Clarke.

The former digital minister initially backed Sajid Javid in the leadership race but endorsed Liz Truss in July.

Philp, who has also held junior roles in the Home Office and Ministry of Justice, has spoken of how the NHS saved the lives of his twins after they were born very prematurely at 25 weeks.

He was elected MP for Croydon South in 2015.

Michael Ellis has been appointed attorney general – the chief legal adviser to the government – and can attend cabinet.

He replaces new Home Secretary Suella Braverman, having previously filled in for her when she went on maternity leave in 2021.

A former Cabinet Office minister and paymaster general, Ellis supported Liz Truss’s rival Rishi Sunak in the Conservative leadership race.

Ellis worked as a barrister for 17 years before entering parliament and his legal experience has previously led to him getting the role of solicitor general for England and Wales in 2019.

He was elected MP for Northampton North in 2010.

Edward Argar will attend cabinet after being named paymaster general and Cabinet Office minister, replacing new Attorney General Michael Ellis.

The former health minister, who resigned in July, supported Liz Truss in the leadership race after initially backing ex-Health Secretary Sajid Javid.

Before entering parliament he worked in management consultancy and communications at various companies including outsourcing firm Serco and was a city councillor in Westminster.

He has been MP for Charnwood since 2015 and lists his interests as including gardening, tennis and watching cricket.

Vicky Ford has become development minister at the Foreign Office and will attend cabinet.

The former MEP and South Cambridgeshire local councillor was an early supporter of Liz Truss in the leadership race.

Before entering politics she worked as managing director of an international bank and was involved in raising money for infrastructure projects in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Ford, who has three children, was elected MP for Chelmsford in 2017 and lists her interests as including cricket, fly fishing, gardening and singing.

Tom Tugendhat will attend cabinet as security minister in the Home Office, after reaching the final five in the Conservative leadership race before endorsing Liz Truss.

The former Territorial Army officer, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee since 2017 but this is his first ministerial post.

Tugendhat, who speaks Arabic, was also involved in reconstruction efforts in both countries and was highly critical of the withdrawal from Afghanistan by Western forces in 2021.

He has worked as a journalist in Beirut and a management consultant in the UK.

The father-of-two became an MP in 2015 – for the Kent constituency of Tonbridge, Edenbridge and Malling.

James Heappey will be minister for the armed forces and veterans in the Ministry of Defence.

He was already a defence minister but will now attend cabinet having backed Liz Truss in the leadership race.

The former soldier spent 10 years in the Army, serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and Northern Ireland, before entering politics.

He was elected MP for the Somerset constituency of Wells in 2015 and describes himself as a very keen sportsman who also loves to cook.

Graham Stuart has become climate minister in the business department and will also attend cabinet.

The former Foreign Office and international trade minister, who has also been a government whip, supported Liz Truss in the leadership race.

He describes himself as a keen cyclist and says his interests include football, economics, motorcycling and punk rock.

Stuart, who set up a publishing business after leaving university, was first elected MP for the East Yorkshire constituency of Beverley and Holderness in 2005.