Liz’s loyal flush
Purge of Rishi fans
KWASI Kwarteng, who once branded British workers among the “worst idlers in the world”, was last night confirmed as Chancellor.
His elevation from Business Secretary came as Ms Truss shaped her top team by handing plum jobs to her loyal pals – and purging supporters of defeated leadership rival Rishi Sunak.
Like the new Prime Minister, Mr Kwarteng, 47, was first elected in 2010.
And until yesterday, he and Ms Truss lived on the same street in Greenwich, South East London.
Now, they will be neighbours in Downing Street if he takes up his new role’s grace-and-favour flat.
In 2012, he co-wrote free market book Britannia Unchained, with Tory MPs including Ms Truss, which slammed workers and makes unions fear for employment rights. Therese Coffey, close to Ms Truss and a constituency neighbour in East Anglia, was promoted to Deputy PM and also named Health Secretary, replacing Steve Barclay.
Ms Coffey, 50, was blasted at last year’s Tory Party conference for belting out Time Of My Life hours before cutting six million people’s benefits by axing a £20-a-week temporary Universal Credit hike.
As widely expected, former Attorney General Suella Braverman, 42, became Home Secretary, while James Cleverly, 53, was switched from Education to Foreign Secretary.
For the first time in British history, none of the four Great Offices of State – PM, Chancellor, Home and Foreign – is held by a white man.
And Ms Truss also appointed the Tories’ first female Chief Whip in Wendy Morton, 54.
Nadhim Zahawi, 55, replaced as
Chancellor by Mr Kwarteng, was handed the Cabinet Office Minister post. And Penny Mordaunt, 49, who came third in the leadership contest after failing to make the final run-off, was given the Commons Leader role.
She will push Ms Truss’s tax cuts and reforms through Parliament.
Ben Wallace, 52, stays as Defence Secretary while Brandon Lewis, 51, moves from being Northern Ireland Secretary to become Justice Secretary.
And Jacob Rees-Mogg has been appointed Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Priti Patel and Nadine Dorries resigned as Home Secretary and Culture Secretary respectively after Ms Truss won the leadership contest.
The new Cabinet meets this morning and junior ministerial roles are expected to be announced this afternoon, following PMQs.
Before appointing her senior ministers, Ms Truss went to Parliament for a cull of ministers from Boris Johnson’s Government. Deputy PM and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab – Ms Truss’s predecessor as Foreign Secretary – was ousted. The 48-year-old, who had backed Mr Sunak and blasted Ms Truss’s economic plans, said: “I look forward to supporting the Government from the backbenches.”
Grant Shapps, who also supported the former Chancellor, was given the boot as Transport Secretary.
He said: “It has been a privilege to serve as Transport Secretary, a job I loved. Now I look forward to being a strong, independent voice on the backbenches.”
Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer said he was “relieved of my duties”.
Greg Clark, 55, was sacked as Levelling-up Secretary after two months in post, replaced by Simon Clarke, 37.
George Eustice, 50, was axed as Environment Secretary and said: “I will now offer scrutiny and advice from the backbenches.”
Kemi Badenoch, 43, was appointed International Trade Secretary and President of the Board of Trade and Chloe Smith, 40, is Work and Pensions Minister.
Forty-seven minutes later, with the sackings complete, Ms Truss was driven back to Downing Street, where she began appointing her team.
The PM’s “kitchen Cabinet” – her close team of advisers – was formally installed in Downing Street.
Mark Fullbrook, an ally of Mr Johnson’s former strategist Sir Lynton Crosby, became No10 chief of staff.
Jason Stein, one of Ms Truss’s advisers, was communications secretary to Prince Andrew in the run-up to the Duke of York’s disastrous Panorama interview in November 2019.
He quit after his advice to the royal not to take part in the interview with host Emily Maitlis was ignored.