Rishi Sunak has started to appoint his cabinet after being officially asked by the King to form a new government.
The new prime minister has promised to form a government of “all the talents” amid calls from senior Tories to appoint the best ministers available – rather than focusing on those who are loyal to him, as his two predecessors had done.
New PM – latest from Downing Street
Here’s who is in and out of Mr Sunak’s new government:
Who’s in so far?
Jeremy Hunt is keeping his job as chancellor, having reversed the majority of Liz Truss’s mini-budget Mr Sunak warned would be detrimental to the economy just over a week ago.
Seen as a steady hand, keeping Mr Hunt could be an attempt to reassure the markets.
Mr Hunt is due to lay out plans for balancing the books with a fiscal statement on 31 October.
His appointment could also be seen as political, as Mr Hunt had backed Mr Sunak in the last two leadership races.
Ahead of Mr Sunak announcing his key posts, a number of Liz Truss’s cabinet have already announced they are leaving government.
Who’s left so far:
Jacob Rees-Mogg kicked off the resignations on Tuesday, leaving his post as business secretary.
A close ally of both Boris Johnson and Ms Truss, he had earlier said he was not expecting to serve in Mr Sunak’s cabinet.
Mr Rees-Mogg famously called Mr Sunak a “socialist” during this summer’s Conservative Party leadership race because he refused to commit to the same level of tax cuts as Ms Truss – though today he backed down on those comments.
In his resignation letter, he wished Mr Sunak “every success” but added: “It is time to go.
“In the interests of the nation, the Conservative Party must unite under your leadership and I shall do all I can to support you.”
Brandon Lewis, has also resigned as justice secretary, saying Mr Sunak has his “support from the backbenches”.
“Our party is at a crossroads,” Mr Lewis said in his resignation letter to the prime minister, adding that it is time to “reunite and rebuild”.
Robert Buckland is out as Welsh secretary, writing on Twitter that he was leaving “at my request”.
Mr Buckland initially supported Mr Sunak in the summer, but swapped to back Ms Truss.
Jake Berry said it was an “honour” to serve as Conservative Party chairman but “all good things must come to an end”.
The Truss-backing MP for Rossendale and Darwen said he will “relish” his chance to serve his constituents again.
Kit Malthouse, the fourth education secretary this year, tweeted: “As I leave the DfE, 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.”
Chole Smith is also out as secretary of state for work and pensions. She was a big ally of Ms Truss, and had been reviewing whether to uprate benefits in line with inflation.
Ranil Jayawardena is also out as environment secretary.
He wrote to Rishi Sunak: “I know that you wish for a new team to join you in HM government, so I write to stand aside.”
He added that he is “sure that HM Government will continue to deliver, and you will have my support in doing so”.
Levelling Up Secretary Simon Clarke has also left his role.
He said it was a “great privilege” to serve in the department, as well as in his previous role as chief secretary to the Treasury.
Mr Clarke was one of Liz Truss’s most vocal supporters during the summer.
He tweeted: “My loyalty to @trussliz and @BorisJohnson was sincere to the last and I appreciate deeply the opportunity they gave me. But I meant every word that I said yesterday: @Conservatives must unite under our new PM and should all work to ensure @RishiSunak succeeds. He has my support.”
Chief Whip Wendy Morton has also left the government, writing on Twitter that she is “heading to the backbenches”.
Her exit is perhaps unsurprising, as Ms Morton presided over a chaotic parliamentary party under Ms Truss’s premiership.
Her short time in the role culminated in farcical scenes during a Commons vote on fracking the night before Ms Truss announced her resignation, with claims of MPs being “bullied” into voting with the government.
Foreign minister Vicky Ford has also left the government. She told Sky News political correspondent Joe Pike that “space was needed to bring in new talent”.
She added: “I think that Rishi will make a very good government from all different parts of the party.
“Some of us need to move on in order to make sure he’s got room to bring in some really good talent from all across the party.”
Alok Sharma has departed as minister of state at the cabinet office. He will remain COP26 president and will negotiate on behalf of the UK at COP27.
