Prime Minister Liz Truss held her first cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London on Wednesday, announcing one of the UK’s most diverse cabinets, with key frontline posts for ethnic minority members of parliament, including the Home Secretary. Indian-origin Suella Braverman was also involved as well.
Another Indian-origin minister in the cabinet, Agra-born Alok Sharma, retains his climate action job as COP26 president, as does Defense Secretary Ben Wallace in a new top team that is otherwise a complete shake-up of the old guard. is up.
Ranil Jayawardene, a London-born junior minister of mixed Sri Lankan and Indian heritage, has been promoted as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Several senior Tories who backed the truce’s rival, British Indian former finance minister Rishi Sunak, find themselves without jobs, including former Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Health Secretary Steve Barkley.
The process of appointing cabinet and junior ministerial posts began on Tuesday and will continue till Wednesday, when Truss addresses her first Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQ) in the House of Commons.
On his side on the frontbench will be Braverman, whose Tamil mother had roots in Mauritius and a Goa-born father had moved to the UK from Kenya.
Also on her side will be Ghanian-born Kwasi Quarteng as the UK’s first black chancellor, and James Cleverley, of mixed Sierra Leone and white heritage, as foreign secretary to his former portfolio of trusses.
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Truss has packed the top level of her cabinet with close aides, such as Therese Coffey as deputy prime minister and secretary of state for health and social care, and Wendy Morton as parliamentary secretary to the Treasury and the first Tory woman chief whip in charge. Packed in. of party discipline
Cami Badenoch, a former Tory leadership contender, is the new international trade secretary, and the incumbent Anne-Marie Trevelyan has been replaced as transport secretary. Another former contestant, Tom Tugendhat, has been assigned the role of Minister of Security.
Iraqi-born Nadim Zahawi has been appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister of Equality, Brandon Lewis is the new Justice Secretary, and Penny Mordent is the leader of the Commons.
Former junior ministers Jacob Rees-Mogg and Simon Clark have been promoted to Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and Leveling Up and Housing, respectively, and former Police Minister Kit Malthhouse is the new Education Secretary.
“We have enormous reserves of talent, energy and determination,” Truss said in his inaugural address outside 10 Downing Street on Tuesday.
“I believe that together we can: ride out the storm, we can rebuild our economy, and we can become the modern brilliant Britain I know we can be. All people and generations to come.” It is our important mission to ensure opportunities and prosperity for the nation. I am determined to deliver,” she said.
His speech followed an audience with Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where the 96-year-old monarch formally asked him to form a new government.
The Truss has resolved to “turn Britain into an aspirational nation with high-paying jobs, safe roads and where everyone everywhere has the opportunities they deserve. They have accepted the difficult challenges they face in life.” It has to do with the crisis-ridden spiraling energy bills but insists it has a plan to “get out of the storm”.
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