British PM Sunak begins Cabinet reshuffle, keeps Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in place
London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday began putting his top team in place with key Cabinet appointments and decided to keep the new Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, in place for economic stability, a PTI report in the Tribune, Chandigarh, says.
In another move aimed at continuity, James Cleverly will stay in his post as Foreign Secretary despite not being a Sunak loyalist.
Hunt has been an ally of Sunak and it was widely expected that he would keep his job.
Soon afterwards Hunt tweeted “It is going to be tough. But protecting the vulnerable – and people’s jobs, mortgages and bills – will be at the front of our minds as we work to restore stability, confidence and long-term growth,”
Another close ally, Dominic Raab, who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary in the Boris Johnson led Cabinet returns to the twin posts under Sunak.
Meanwhile, many from the Liz Truss and Boris Johnson faction of the governing Conservative Party resigned soon after Sunak took charge at 10 Downing Street.
Jacob Rees-Mogg resigned as Business Secretary, Brandon Lewis as Justice Secretary, Kit Malthouse as Education Secretary and Sri Lankan origin Ranil Jayawardena as Environment Secretary.
In his address to party colleagues soon after his win on Monday and also in his public addresses, Sunak has stressed on “unity and stability” as his key priorities.
According to close aides, his focus will be on creating a Cabinet of a broad range of talent from across different wings of the Tory party in an attempt to try and unite divided ranks.
It marks a sharp contrast from Liz Truss’ approach of appointing her close loyalists and those who backed her leadership bid to Cabinet posts.
US President Biden congratulates Sunak
US President Joe Biden made a congratulatory phone call to new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the White House said.
“The leaders agreed on the importance of working together to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for its aggression, address the challenges posed by China, and secure sustainable and affordable energy resources,” the White House said in readout of the call.
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