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The Telegraph
The Telegraph
National
Joe Riddle

Liz Truss's Cabinet: Who's in and who's out?

Liz Truss is expected to begin announcing her Cabinet on Tuesday after being elected leader of the Conservative Party on Monday.

Following her victory over Rishi Sunak, the new party leader will fly to Balmoral where she will be formally invited by the Queen to form a government.

She is set to confirm appointments to her top team later in the day, but some ministers have already indicated that they will step down.

We will keep this file constantly updated. 

Who's out of the running?

Nadine Dorries

Ms Dorries has announced she is standing down as Culture Secretary following Boris Johnson's departure from No 10.

Sources close to the Tory MP - who was a prominent supporter of Liz Truss during the leadership election - said she believed it was the right time to go.

It is understood she was given the opportunity to carry on in Cabinet but had chosen instead to return to the backbenches.

It is expected that she will now be given a peerage in Mr Johnson's resignation honours list, triggering a by-election in her Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Nadine Dorries and Rachel Johnson arrive at Downing Street on Tuesday morning
Nadine Dorries and Rachel Johnson arrive at Downing Street on Tuesday morning

Lord Frost

Lord Frost, the former Brexit negotiator, will not be in Liz Truss’s first Cabinet after turning down two roles that were offered to him, The Telegraph understands.

The ex-diplomat was sounded out about the role of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, once occupied by Michael Gove, but rejected it because Ms Truss wants the job to be far more narrowly focused than in Mr Gove’s time.

Ms Truss’s team also raised the possibility of making Lord Frost the Leader of the House of Lords, but he told them he would be the wrong person for the job because it should go to someone who has been a peer for much longer than his two years.

Priti Patel

On Monday afternoon, Priti Patel resigned as Home Secretary Ms Patel wrote to Mr Johnson to say she would leave the post, which she has held for three years, as soon as Ms Truss was appointed.

She wrote: “I congratulate Liz Truss on being elected our new leader and will give her my support as our new prime minister.

“It is my choice to continue my public service to the country and the Witham constituency from the back benches once Liz formally assumes office and a new home secretary is appointed. From the back benches, I will champion many of the policies and causes that I have stood for both inside and outside of Government.”

Who's in?

Jake Berry, the chairman of the Northern Research Group of Tory MPs, is to be appointed chairman of the Conservative Party. 

Alister Jack, the Scottish Secretary, is set to remain in post, while Alok Sharma expects to stay on in the Cabinet as President for COP26, as he will be in that role until November.

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