Rishi Sunak demotes Truss allies as reshuffle continues

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Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Chris Philp have both been given more junior roles under the new PM.

Image source, EPA

New Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has demoted two allies of his predecessor Liz Truss, as he puts the final touches to his ministerial team.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan has been moved from transport secretary to be a minister in the Foreign Office.

Chris Philp, who was paymaster general, is now a Home Office minister.

On Tuesday, Mr Sunak overhauled the cabinet, removing key allies of his predecessor and rewarding some loyal supporters with top jobs.

But there was also a focus on unity – with some figures from Liz Truss’s top team, such as Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, keeping their roles.

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Ms Trevelyan and Mr Philp had attended Cabinet under Ms Truss but will now have more junior roles.

Mr Philp was previously switched from chief secretary to the Treasury to Cabinet Office minister and paymaster general after the turmoil which followed the government’s tax-cutting mini-budget.

Both backed Ms Truss in the summer Tory leadership contest, after their first choice candidates dropped out of the race.

Other appointments include:

Nick Gibb and Robert Halfon as education ministersJesse Norman as a transport ministerAlex Chalk as a defence ministerLucy Frazer as a minister in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and CommunitiesHelen Whately as a minister in the Department for Health and Social CareGeorge Freeman as a minister in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Most supported Mr Sunak in both Tory leadership contests this year.

Among those reappointed to the same role under Mr Sunak were James Heappey as defence minister. Under Ms Truss, Mr Heappey had said he would resign if the government broke a pledge to spend 3% of GDP on defence by 2030 – a promise Mr Sunak has not committed to.

Others reappointed include Greg Hands as trade minister and Steve Baker as Northern Ireland minister.

On Tuesday, No 10 said it wanted to show “unity, experience and continuity” in key cabinet roles.

Jeremy Hunt, who is due to deliver a statement on the government’s plans for tax and spending on 17 November, was kept on as chancellor. Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who has led the UK’s response to the war in Ukraine, also kept his role.

Experienced ministers who served under Boris Johnson, such as Michael Gove, were brought back.

However, Labour have criticised the return of Suella Braverman, who was reappointed as home secretary just days after she resigned over data breaches.