Who is in and who is out? Key figures in Rishi Sunak’s cabinet

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In the cabinet

Jeremy Hunt, chancellorHad he won the Tory leadership in the summer, Rishi Sunak had been keen to appoint one of his close allies as chancellor, and he is rumoured to prefer Oliver Dowden or Mel Stride, the chair of the Treasury select committee. That may yet happen at the next reshuffle but for now Sunak has kept with Hunt, deciding that stability is the priority. Having been in post for less than a fortnight, it was the consensus position among MPs that Hunt should stay in post. He is keen to deliver the 31 October fiscal event on schedule, in an attempt to bolster market confidence.

Penny Mordaunt, leader of the CommonsMordaunt, who stood in both Tory leadership elections this year, would have hoped for a promotion but is instead kept in place. The Commons leader is confident at the dispatch box and is deemed popular with Tory activists.

Dominic Raab, deputy prime minister and justice secretaryRaab got his old jobs back. He kept a largely low profile after Boris Johnson’s administration collapsed in July. But he was a consistent and early backer of Sunak and spoke up for him in the broadcast rounds over the past week.

Oliver Dowden, chancellor of the duchy of LancasterOnce David Cameron’s deputy chief of staff in No 10, Dowden is one of Rishi Sunak’s closest allies, who has long supported his friend’s campaign to become prime minister and may yet become chancellor. Dowden quit as Tory party co-chair in June after a double byelection defeat for the Tories, insisting “serious times require serious leadership”. Rumour suggested he was on the brink of being sacked before making his bombshell resignation, as he had increasingly become sceptical of the Johnson administration.

Suella Braverman, home secretaryLast week Braverman became the shortest-serving home secretary since 1834, having quit after she was found to have breached security rules. Her resignation rocked Liz Truss’s premiership and helped trigger Truss’s resignation the next day. Braverman makes a quick return to office in arguably the standout move of Sunak’s new team.

Simon Hart, chief whipHart served in Boris Johnson’s cabinet as Wales secretary before resigning in July 2022. He is a staunch remainer and his appointment suggests Sunak is taking a different approach to restoring harmony within the party.

Th?r?se Coffey, environment secretaryThe deputy prime minister and health secretary under Liz Truss, Coffey is moved to Defra. She was not seen as friendly towards the National Trust and RSPB during her time as a junior Defra minister and many in the environment sector viewed her as “unenthusiastic” about the role.

Out of the cabinet

Jacob Rees-MoggWith a letter written by hand, Rees-Mogg resigned as business secretary as Rishi Sunak kicked off his cabinet reshuffle, acknowledging his proximity to the last two regimes.

Wendy MortonWidely viewed as over-promoted due to her closeness to Truss, confidence in the former chief whip collapsed when confusion broke out over whether a motion on fracking last week would be treated as a confidence vote in Truss’s administration.

Kit MalthouseMalthouse’s career took off after Johnson lost his battle to remain in No 10 earlier this year. The former policing minister became the most senior minister in the Cabinet Office as part of Johnson’s caretaker government, before accepting the poisoned chalice of becoming the fifth education secretary in just over a year.

Robert BucklandThe outgoing Wales secretary backed Rishi Sunak before switching to Liz Truss in the summer leadership race, making him an enemy of many of Sunak’s allies.

Jake BerryThe former party chair came under fire last month for telling struggling Britons to “go out there and get that new job”. Berry, who was chair of the Northern Research Group, later apologised for the remarks.

Simon Clarke The former levelling up secretary was chief secretary to the Treasury under Sunak when he was chancellor.