Live: Liz Truss appointing Cabinet after first speech as PM at Downing Street

Britain’s 56th prime minister Liz Truss has taken office after an official audience with the Queen.

7.51pm

BREAKING: Brandon Lewis has been appointed Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Downing Street said.

7.50pm

Mr Wallace will continue in the role of Defence Secretary, as he plays a vital role in supporting President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine’s fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

7.45pm

Ben Wallace has been reappointed as Defence Secretary, Downing Street said.

7.40pm

New Health Secretary Therese Coffey has outlined her top four priorities.

Ms Coffey, who has also been appointed as Deputy Prime Minister, told Sky News: “I’m just about to enter the department and go to meet our great civil servants I’m going to work with.

“We’ve got priorities A, B, C, D – ambulances, backlogs, care, D – doctors and dentists. And we’re going to work through that and we’ll make sure that we’re delivering for the patients.”

Asked whether she is ready for strikes, Ms Coffey said: “I think we’ve got to be ready for patients and that’s my top priority, and how we can make best use of our department and of course the NHS in order to achieve the best outcomes for them.”

Asked what her message is to potentially demoralised NHS staff, Ms Coffey said she recognised “they’ve done excellent work” and repeated her priorities.

7.36pm

BREAKING: Wendy Morton has been appointed chief whip and will attend Cabinet, Downing Street said.

7.35pm

New Home Secretary Suella Braverman has left Downing Street following her appointment to Liz Truss’s Cabinet, wishing journalists a good evening as she departed Number 10.

7.34pm

Liz Truss rewarded close allies Therese Coffey and Kwasi Kwarteng with top Cabinet jobs as she culled a number of prominent Rishi Sunak supporters during a major reshuffle of the Government.

The new Prime Minister appointed Mr Kwarteng as Chancellor and Ms Coffey as Deputy Prime Minister and Health Secretary, and made James Cleverly the Foreign Secretary.

Former attorney general Suella Braverman was appointed Home Secretary, replacing Priti Patel after she pre-emptively resigned.

The appointments mean that for the first time in history none of the great offices of state are held by white men.

7.26pm

7.24pm

New Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has left Downing Street, but did not stop to talk to journalists.

7.23pm

BREAKING: Suella Braverman has been appointed as Home Secretary, No 10 said.

7.22pm

Penny Mordaunt, a former rival to Liz Truss in the race for Conservative Party leader, has also entered Downing Street.

7.21pm

Nadhim Zahawi has just entered Downing Street.

The former chancellor walked into Number 10 as Liz Truss appoints her new Cabinet.

7.20pm

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said new Prime Minister Liz Truss “is not on the side of working people”.

“While families are sick with worry about how they will pay their energy bills, Liz Truss is giving handouts to companies,” she said.

“She nodded through the decisions that got working people into this mess and is expecting working people to shoulder the cost of getting out of it.

“She thinks working people just need a bit more graft to solve the problems her Government caused.

“Labour has set out a fully funded plan to ensure no-one pays a penny more on their energy bill this winter. Because Labour is on the side of working people, while the Tories are the party protecting oil and gas profits.”

7.16pm

BREAKING: James Cleverly has been appointed Foreign Secretary, No 10 said.

7.15pm

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has arrived at Downing Street.

7.14pm

Kwasi Kwarteng has just left Number 10 after being appointed the new Chancellor of the Exchequer.

7.13pm

George Eustice pledged to “offer scrutiny” from the backbenches as he was sacked as environment secretary as part of Liz Truss’s clear-out of Rishi Sunak supporters from Cabinet.

In a statement on his departure from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Mr Eustice said: “It has been a privilege to have been a Defra minister for the past nine years, under three different prime ministers, including almost three years in Cabinet during the most challenging of times.

“I will now offer scrutiny and advice from the backbenches.”

7.10pm

BREAKING: Kwasi Kwarteng has been appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer, No 10 said.

7.09pm

Brandon Lewis, the former Northern Ireland secretary, has just entered Downing Street, where new members are being appointed to Liz Truss’s Cabinet.

7.08pm

Leaving Number 10 after her appointment, Ms Coffey told waiting journalists: “I’m very excited, thank you.”

7.07pm

Therese Coffey, the new Health Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, earlier had to take shelter from the rain as she awaited the arrival of Prime Minister Liz Truss in Downing Street.

7.04pm

Shailesh Vara has been sacked as Northern Ireland secretary.

He tweeted: “Great privilege and honour to serve as Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office and work with some excellent people.

“My best wishes to the new PM and I look forward to supporting the government from the backbenches”.

Mr Vara, a supporter of new Prime Minister Liz Truss’s rival Rishi Sunak in the Tory leadership contest, was not expected to retain his position.

He was appointed to the role in Boris Johnson’s caretaker administration in July.

7.02pm

Downing Street said: “The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of the Rt Hon Dr Therese Coffey MP as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. She will also be Deputy Prime Minister.”

7.01pm

BREAKING: Therese Coffey has been appointed Health Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, Downing Street said.

6.51pm

Greg Clark has been sacked as levelling up secretary.

He tweeted: “It’s been such a privilege to be at the helm at (the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) these last 8 weeks.

“Thanks to superb teams of ministers, civil servants, colleagues in local govt and partners in business & voluntary sector we’ve done the job and delivered a lot more besides.

“I’ve enjoyed it enormously.”

Mr Clark was appointed to Boris Johnson’s caretaker administration in July after Michael Gove was sacked.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke is tipped to take on the office in Liz Truss’s Government.

6.48pm

Johnny Mercer, who did not say who he was backing in the leadership race, said he was “disappointed” to be sacked as veterans’ affairs minister, but accepted the Prime Minister is “entitled to reward her supporters”.

The Plymouth Moor View MP also suggested he could quit the Commons, saying: “I have to accept that I will never possess the qualities required for enduring success in politics as it stands, and to be fair to my wonderful family, I must consider my future.”

6.41pm

6.37pm

Johnny Mercer has been sacked as veterans’ affairs minister.

In a statement posted on social media, he said he was “disappointed” to have been “relieved of my duties in Government” by Liz Truss.

6.35pm

Transport minister and MP for Aldridge-Brownhills Wendy Morton has walked into Number 10 Downing Street.

6.33pm

Andrew Stephenson said he was no longer Conservative Party chairman, as Liz Truss carried out her first Cabinet reshuffle as Prime Minister.

He tweeted: “Thanks to the brilliant hardworking team at @Conservatives Central Office – it’s been an honour to be Party Chairman during the leadership contest & to campaign in 87 different seats. Best of luck to my successor!”

6.30pm

6.29pm

Therese Coffey was the third politician to enter Downing Street this evening.

She stood at the open door of Number 10 and posed for the media.

She was followed shortly afterwards by Education Secretary James Cleverly, who greeted the duty police officer before entering Downing Street.

6.23pm

Kwasi Kwarteng has entered Number 10 Downing Street amid speculation that he is to be made Chancellor of the Exchequer in Liz Truss’s Cabinet.

6.20pm

Suella Braverman has entered the front door of Number 10.

The Attorney General and former leadership contender walked up Downing Street, waving and smiling at the waiting press.

6.16pm

Dominic Raab was swiftly kicked out of the Cabinet as the deputy prime minister became the first casualty of Liz Truss’s reshuffle after she entered No 10.

Grant Shapps and Steve Barclay, two other secretaries of state who backed Tory leadership rival Rishi Sunak, were also quickly despatched to the backbenches by the new Prime Minister.

Ms Truss’s shake-up began promptly after she delivered her first speech in Downing Street on Tuesday.

6.08pm

Steve Barclay announced that he is no longer health secretary, tweeting: “After 7 years in government I am returning to the backbenches.

“Thanks to all colleagues, both political & civil service, for their fantastic support. Wishing @trussliz & her ministerial team every success for the future.”

6.07pm

Grant Shapps has lost his job as transport secretary as Liz Truss appointed her first Cabinet.

Mr Shapps said he would be a “strong, independent voice” on the Tory backbenches.

He tweeted: “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, developing policies that will further the Conservative cause and the interests of my constituents in Welwyn Hatfield.”

6.07pm

Video: Liz Truss makes first speech as Prime Minister

6.06pm

US President Joe Biden has congratulated Liz Truss on becoming Prime Minister and vowed to deepen the “special relationship”.

Just as Ms Truss finished her speech and formally entered Downing Street, the US president tweeted: “Congratulations to Prime Minister Liz Truss.

“I look forward to deepening the special relationship between our countries and working in close cooperation on global challenges, including continued support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression.”

The White House confirmed that Mr Biden will speak to Ms Truss on Tuesday evening.

Mr Biden’s tweet was the first public message since Ms Truss was elected as Conservative leader on Monday.

Ms Truss is expected to travel to the US later this month for the United Nations General Assembly, where she will be hoping for her first face-to-face meeting with the president.

6.01pm

Brandon Lewis, Nadhim Zahawi and Ben Wallace were among those listening to Liz Truss’s first speech as Prime Minister.

5.52pm

Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said he is returning to the backbenches as Liz Truss appoints her first Cabinet.

Mr Raab tweeted: “Thanks to the brilliant MoJ (Ministry of Justice) team for all their hard work over the last year.

“Good luck to the new PM and her team. I look forward to supporting the Government from the backbenches.

5.48pm

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden will call Liz Truss to congratulate her tonight, telling reporters: “He’s going to speak to her later today, this afternoon.

“He’s planning to call her to congratulate her, the new Prime Minister.”

5.46pm

5.43pm

The White House confirmed that US President Joe Biden will speak tonight with new Prime Minister Liz Truss.

5.42pm

Liz Truss said the UK is facing “severe global headwinds” as a result of the war in Ukraine and the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The new Prime Minister said she was determined to stand up for freedom and democracy in the face of Russian aggression.

“What makes the United Kingdom great is our fundamental belief in freedom, in enterprise and in fair play. Our people have shown grit and determination time and time again,” she said.

“United with our allies we will stand up for freedom and democracy around the world, recognising we can’t have security at home without security abroad.”

5.40pm

5.33pm

Liz Truss expressed confidence that the country can rise to the challenges it faces.

In her first speech as Prime Minister at Downing Street, which came after a downpour on Tuesday afternoon and several stormy nights for London this week, Ms Truss said: “We shouldn’t be daunted by the challenges we face.

“As strong as the storm may be, I know that the British people are stronger.

“Our country was built by people who get things done. We have huge reserves of talent, of energy and determination.”

5.31pm

5.29pm

On her second and third immediate priorities, Liz Truss said: “Secondly, I will deal hands-on with the energy crisis caused by Putin’s war.

“I will take action this week to deal with energy bills and to secure our future energy supply.

“Thirdly, I will make sure that people can get doctor’s appointments and the NHS services they need. We will put our health service on a firm footing.

“By delivering on the economy, on energy and on the NHS, we will put our nation on the path to long-term success”.

5.28pm

5.27pm

Liz Truss promised to pursue three early priorities as Prime Minister: tax cuts and reforms, dealing with soaring energy bills and securing the energy supply, and also putting the NHS “on a firm footing”.

Ms Truss said in her first speech at Downing Street: “As Prime Minister, I will pursue three early priorities.

“Firstly, I will get Britain working again. I have a bold plan to grow the economy through tax cuts and reform.

“I will cut taxes to reward hard work and boost business-led growth and investment.

“I will drive reform in my mission to get the United Kingdom working, building and growing.

“We will get spades in the ground to make sure people are not facing unaffordable energy bills and we will also make sure that we are building hospitals, schools, roads and broadband.”

5.25pm

5.23pm

Liz Truss said she is determined to tackle the issues that have been holding Britain back for years.

Standing in Downing Street, the new Prime Minister said the country needs to build “roads, homes and broadband faster” with more investment in towns and cities across the country.

“I know that we have to tackle those challenges. Of course it won’t be easy but we can do it. We will transform Britain into an aspiration nation,” she said.

“I will take action this day and every day to make it happen.”`

5.22pm

5.18pm

Liz Truss said she is confident the nation can “ride out the storm”.

Speaking from outside No 10, she said: “I’m confident that together we can ride out the storm, we can rebuild our economy and we can become the modern brilliant Britain that I know we can be.

“This is our vital mission to ensure opportunity and prosperity for all people and future generations. I’m determined to deliver.”

5.17pm

5.16pm

Liz Truss smiled and waved at the door to Number 10 with her husband, Hugh O’Leary, as MPs in Downing Street marked the end of her speech with rapturous applause.

5.16pm

Protesters played loud music including the song Mad World from the streets surrounding Downing Street during Ms Truss’s first address as Prime Minister.

Chanting from protesters and an air horn could also be heard as she delivered her maiden speech.

5.15pm

BREAKING:US President Joe Biden has congratulated new Prime Minister Liz Truss, saying: “I look forward to deepening the special relationship between our countries and working in close co-operation on global challenges, including continued support for Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression.”

5.15pm

Hugh O’Leary, the husband of Prime Minister Liz Truss, was standing behind her near the door to Number 10 as she delivered her speech.

5.14pm

Speaking outside No 10 Downing Street after the downpours of rain abated, she said: “Boris Johnson delivered Brexit, the Covid vaccine and stood up to Russian aggression. History will see him as a hugely consequential prime minister.

“I’m honoured to take on this responsibility at a vital time for our country.”

5.12pm

Ms Truss paid tribute to predecessor Boris Johnson as a “hugely consequential” premier.

5.11pm

BREAKING: Prime Minister Liz Truss said she was honoured to take on the role “at a vital time for our country” in her first speech in Downing Street.

5.10pm

Liz Truss has arrived at Downing Street beneath stormy skies for her first speech as Prime Minister.

Ms Truss waved to the large crowd of journalists poised for the address in the drizzle while dozens of Tory MPs erupted into applause as she approached the lectern.

She wore a navy blue skirt and blazer with beige shoes for her inaugural address.

5.08pm

5pm

The MPs who had retreated from the rain into No 11 have now returned to Downing Street as the vehicle carrying Liz Truss gets closer to Westminster.

With a break in the weather, the lectern was returned to the front of the door of No 10, with staff seen plugging the microphone cables back in.

4.57pm

4.55pm

Downing Street staff removed the lectern from outside Number 10 as the heavens opened ahead of Liz Truss’s first speech as Prime Minister.

The crowd of MPs who had gathered in the street to welcome Ms Truss have now moved indoors.

4.52pm

Thunder rumbled overhead just moments before Liz Truss’s first speech as Prime Minister.

The microphone on the lectern was covered with a black plastic bag before it was removed by staff.

4.51pm

Despite the rain, MPs were in good spirits, including Dame Andrea Leadsom, who posted a picture on Twitter with the caption ‘Still smiling’:

4.47pm

A big crowd of MPs gathered between the press pen and the gates to Downing Street.

Nadhim Zahawi, James Cleverly, Ben Wallace, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Penny Mordaunt are among those who are waiting to welcome Prime Minister Liz Truss.

4.43pm

A member of the public has been inundated with messages intended for new Prime Minister Liz Truss, with whom she shares a similar name.

A Twitter account appearing to belong to a woman named Liz Trussell, who has the handle @LizTruss, has been mistakenly sent congratulatory messages from VIPs, including Sweden’s prime minister.

Ms Truss, who tweets under the verified account @TrussLiz, has succeeded Boris Johnson to become Britain’s new Prime Minister.

Following the announcement of Ms Truss’s Tory leadership win, Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson mistakenly tweeted a message of support to the wrong account before swiftly deleting it.

However, a screenshot of the tweet – and Ms Trussell’s reply – quickly went viral.

“Congratulations to @LizTruss, who will assume the role of Prime Minister of the UK. Sweden and UK will continue our deep and extensive cooperation. Important for our citizens, economies and security,” Ms Andersson wrote.

Ms Trussell replied: “Looking forward to a visit soon! Get the meatballs ready.”

Ms Andersson was not the only one to be confused, with Ms Trussell’s account inundated with messages of support and criticism.

Green Party leader Caroline Lucas took to social media to criticise Boris Johnson’s successor but mistakenly tweeted Ms Trussell, calling her appointment a “disaster”.

She later realised her mistake and said sorry to Ms Trussell, tweeting: “Apologies, my previous tweet about #ToryLeadership should have been directed to Liz Truss (@TrussLiz) – not Liz Trussell who tweets at @LizTruss – tho frankly she’d probably make a better job of it.”

Ms Trussell responded with an emoji of two champagne glasses clinking together and wrote: “I’m in! Vegas for everybody!!!”

Despite the confusion, Ms Trussell responded to the many messages by sending light-hearted replies and joking that she was the one preparing to meet the Queen on Tuesday.

4.19pm

Staff have carried out a podium for Liz Truss’s address to the nation ahead of her arrival at Downing Street.

Hundreds of reporters and broadcasters have gathered under umbrellas facing the door to No 10.

4.10pm

Former Manchester United and England footballer – and current pundit – Gary Neville has called for a general election, arguing Ms Truss has no mandate to lead.

He wrote on Twitter: “General Election please! 81,000 Tory members voting for Liz Truss isn’t a mandate to be Prime Minister of the UK.”

4.05pm

While the day is one Ms Truss may always remember, it could be one to forget for former prime minister Boris Johnson, who was essentially ousted after a series of controversies.

Some of those are being raised again on social media today, including by Steps pop star H, who tweeted: “I will never forget that Boris broke the rules and partied… when my Grandad died alone in hospital #BorisJohnson”

4.01pm

The plane carrying Ms Truss has landed at RAF Northolt in north-west London.

Ms Truss flew from Scotland after the audience with the Queen at Balmoral which saw her take over from Boris Johnson as premier.

She will now head to Downing Street where she will make her first address to the nation as Prime Minister.

3.50pm

Umbrellas were out in force in Downing Street as the media awaited the arrival of new Prime Minister Liz Truss.

3.40pm

Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey, regarded as Liz Truss’s closest confidante at Westminster, has arrived in Downing Street.

She is expected to be the new health secretary and deputy prime minister.

3.35pm

Rishi Sunak made an understated first backbench contribution in Parliament since his resignation as chancellor, only a day after confirmation that he had lost the race to become leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister.

On a day of political drama which saw Boris Johnson officially resign and Mr Sunak’s leadership rival Liz Truss take the winner’s prize, the former chancellor used his newfound free time to campaign for his local hospital.

He spoke in a Westminster Hall debate on the topic of unavoidably small hospitals.

Mr Sunak said: “Thank you for accommodating me at a late stage in this debate. I hadn’t planned on speaking, but this morning I saw the order paper and it turned out I had more time on my hands than I had anticipated.”

He spoke about the Friarage Hospital in his constituency of Richmond (Yorkshire).

Mr Sunak said the accessibility of healthcare in rural areas is “an acute issue of anxiety and the pattern over several years had been in a negative direction”.

He said some trusts, particularly in rural areas, should give greater weight to accessibility when making decisions about centralisation and efficiency.

“It is important that small hospitals are recognised. That is something that is said very clearly in the five-year plan. It is important that the NHS continues to deliver on that,” he told MPs.

3.12pm

3.06pm

Unions representing civil servants have written to the newly appointed Prime Minister calling on her to crack down on sexual harassment in Westminster.

In their letter to Liz Truss, the Prospect union and the FDA said fresh leadership brings an opportunity to restore confidence that Parliament is a safe place to work.

As Prime Minister, Ms Truss has “the chance and the obligation” to correct the “erosion of ethics, standards in public life and public respect for, and confidence in, those who lead them”, they said.

The unions called for specific action, including working with the Commons Speaker and the leaders of all parties to introduce a “formal mechanism to prevent MPs accused of serious sexual misconduct from attending Parliament”.

Ms Truss should also commit to restoring ethics and standards in public life by reconsidering her apparent suggestion that she may not appoint an independent adviser on ministers’ interests to replace Lord Geidt, they said.

2.55pm

In a break with tradition, Liz Truss travelled to the Scottish Highlands to meet the Queen at Balmoral Castle, where she was asked to form a government and become prime minister.

The historic audience was the first time the 96-year-old monarch, who has faced ongoing mobility issues, had carried out the key duty at her retreat in Aberdeenshire, rather than at Buckingham Palace.

2.41pm

New Prime Minister Liz Truss has left Scotland on a flight from Aberdeen International Airport following her meeting with the Queen at Balmoral.

She will return to England, where she is expected to give a speech at Downing Street later on Tuesday afternoon.

2.27pm

Boris Johnson’s resignation speech was a “clear dig” at the MPs who ousted him, according to Will Walden, his director of communications when he was mayor of London.

“It wasn’t particularly dignified, reflective or statesmanlike and at the beginning it was pretty bitter,” Mr Walden told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme.

“It’s a clear dig, a parting shot, that the parliamentary party are out of touch and that they’ve got the decision wrong.”

He also criticised the speech for lacking any recognition that Mr Johnson’s departure from No 10 “can probably be laid almost exclusively at his behaviour and the way that he has responded to crises”.

Mr Walden said he does not believe Mr Johnson will come back and serve in frontline politics, mainly because “he needs to earn some money and he needs to move on”.

2.16pm

Liz Truss is the 15th prime minister of the Queen’s reign.

The first was Winston Churchill in 1952.

2.05pm

Liz Truss’s predecessor Boris Johnson has come in for heavy criticism from opposition MPs.

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner, the SNP’s Ian Blackford and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey condemned Mr Johnson’s “rosy” resignation speech as a far cry from reality and renewed calls for his successor to impose a windfall tax to combat the cost-of-living crisis.

The politicians spoke to the PA news agency on College Green in Westminster, central London, following Mr Johnson’s address outside Number 10.

Ms Rayner said he will be remembered for causing “scandal, sleaze and the highest inflation for decades”.

Sir Ed said the outgoing prime minister has “left the country devastated in his wake”.

The SNP’s Westminster leader Mr Blackford said Mr Johnson’s government had “lurched from one crisis to another” and called for a general election.

1.56pm

Senior Tory Sir Bernard Jenkin urged Liz Truss to “level with the British people” about the “utterly dire situation” the country faces in her first speech as Prime Minister.

“I hope this afternoon that in her remarks from Downing Street, which are planned later, she will level with the British people about how utterly dire the situation is,” the Liaison Committee chairman told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme.

“We’re looking at kind of five horses of apocalypse coming at the same time, a perfect storm of crises – not just the cost-of-living crisis, not just the energy crisis, we have state-on-state war in Europe for the first time since 1945, we have embedded inflation and the public finances are already shot to pieces.”

Sir Bernard added that Ms Truss has “got to prepare people, we’re not in sunny uplands”, while warning that the freezing of energy bills “is a short-term fix” as the war in Ukraine could go on for years.

1.50pm

Video: Russia reacts to Liz Truss becoming PM