New UK PM Liz Truss Begins Appointment of Cabinet Members

As expected, long-time Truss ally Kwasi Kwarteng was named the new chancellor of the exchequer, arguably the second most significant position in the UK government. Kwarteng replaces Nadhim Zahawi and has been a member of parliament (MP) for Spelthorne in northern Surrey since 2021. He previously served as the secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy in 2021 and 2022.

Kwarteng also served as the under-secretary of state at the Department for Exiting the European Union after Suella Braverman resigned in protest of the Ireland backstop proposal.

Speaking of Suella Braverman, she has been appointed the home secretary. Braverman ran against Truss for the leader of the Conservative Party, but was eliminated from the ballot in the second round of voting. She chaired the conservative European Research Group from June 2017 to January 2018. As mentioned, former PM Theresa May appointed her as the under-secretary of state for exiting the European Union before resigning. Later, she was appointed by Johnson as the advocate general for Northern Ireland in 2020. She has been the MP for Fareham in Hampshire since 2015.

A former reserve Army officer, James Cleverly launched his own bid to become Conservative leader in 2019 after Theresa May stepped down, but dropped out early. He served as the co-chairman of the Conservative Party in 2019 and 2020. After a cabinet shakeup in 2020 that resulted in him leaving the cabinet, he served as the minister of state for the Middle East and North Africa, and later became minister of state for Europe and North America in February 2022. In July, after multiple members of Boris Johnson’s cabinet resigned, he briefly served as the secretary of state for education after Michelle Conelan resigned in response to the multiple scandals that eventually led to Johnson’s resignation.

Cleverly has been the MP for Braintree in Essex since 2015.

Thérèse Coffey, who supported Truss in her bid to become Conservative Party leader, previously worked as the secretary of state for work and pensions. She also served under May as the parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. She has been the MP of Suffolk Coastal since 2010.

The new leader of the House of Lords is Lord True CBE, given name Nicholas Edward True, a long-time politician who once served as the deputy leader of the Conservative Party in the late 70s and early 80s. He also served as the leader of the opposition from 2006 to 2010 when the Conservative party took control of Parliament and David Cameron became prime minister.

Penny Mordaunt was the junior minister under Boris Johnson and was the secretary of state for international development under May. Like Braverman, Mordaunt ran for leader of the Conservative party against Truss, coming in third. He has served as MP for Portsmouth North since 2010.

Nadhim Zahawi, who is British-Iraqi, was the vaccines minister in 2020 and 2021 under Johnson and the secretary of state for education from 2021 to 2022. He was appointed by Johnson as chancellor of the exchequer after Rishi Sunack resigned during the July governmental crisis. Zahawi withdrew his support for Johnson less than 48 hours after his appointment. This was largely seen as one of the last major blows that forced Johnson to resign. Zahawi has been the MP for Stratford-on-Avon since 2010. It is not known why the word “Women” was removed from his title.

Other appointments include culture secretary (Michelle Donelan), transport secretary (Anne-Marie Trevelyan), environment secretary (Ranil Jayawardena), education secretary (Kit Malthouse), work and pensions secretary (Chloe Smith), international trade secretary (Kemi Badenoch), levelling up secretary (Simon Clarke, who previously said the phrase “levelling up” is over), business secretary (Jacob Rees-Mogg), and party chairman and minister without portfolio (Jake Berry).