Hunt stays while Braverman and Gove return in new PM's cabinet

Hunt stays while Braverman and Gove return in new UK PM's cabinet

BBC International News Oct - 25 - 2022 , 20:43

New UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is reshuffling his cabinet after many of Liz Truss's ministers resigned or were sacked.

Jeremy Hunt remains as chancellor - he took on the role after Kwasi Kwarteng's disastrous mini-budget, swiftly scrapping most of it.

Suella Braverman is reappointed as home secretary, a week after resigning from the same role, and Grant Shapps replaces Jacob Rees-Mogg as business secretary.

Michael Gove returns to the cabinet as levelling up secretary, Dominic Raab returns as deputy PM and justice secretary, and James Cleverly stays as foreign secretary.

Sunak's former leadership rival Penny Mordaunt remains leader of the House of Commons.

Sunak officially became UK prime minister earlier today after meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace.

In his first speech outside No 10, he said the UK was facing a "profound economic crisis" and that he would fix some of Liz Truss's mistakes.

In a short farewell speech earlier, Truss defended her legacy of trying to push through tax cuts and said leaders had to be bold.

Here is a quick recap of today's key events:

Liz Truss officially left office and tendered her resignation to the King this morning. A short while later Rishi Sunak visited Buckingham Palace and was invited by the King to form a new government
Sunak began a significant clear out of Truss's cabinet with just under a dozen now out of their roles - including Jacob Rees-Mogg, Sir Robert Buckland, Jake Berry, Brandon Lewis, Simon Clarke and Kit Malthouse
Appointments to Sunak's cabinet came thick and fast this afternoon. Jeremy Hunt kept his job as chancellor, James Cleverly stays as foreign secretary and perhaps most eye-catchingly there was a return for Suella Braverman as home secretary just under a week after she resigned
Notably there was no promotion for leadership rival Penny Mordaunt who remains as leader of the House of Commons
Labour criticised Sunak for appointing the "tired old faces of Boris Johnson’s government" as the opposition party reiterated calls for a general election to be called