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Rishi Sunak is appointing his cabinet after being asked by the King to form a new government.

The new prime minister has promised to form a government of “all the talents” amid calls from senior Tories to appoint the best ministers available – rather than focusing on those who are loyal to him, as his two predecessors had done.

New PM – latest from Downing Street

Here’s who is in and out of Mr Sunak’s new government:

Who’s in so far?

Jeremy Hunt

Jeremy Hunt is keeping his job as chancellor, having reversed the majority of Liz Truss’s mini-budget Mr Sunak warned would be detrimental to the economy just over a week ago.

Seen as a steady hand, keeping Mr Hunt could be an attempt to reassure the markets.

Mr Hunt is due to lay out plans for balancing the books with a fiscal statement on 31 October.

His appointment could also be seen as political, as Mr Hunt had backed Mr Sunak in the last two leadership races.

James Cleverly foreign secretary

James Cleverly has been reappointed to foreign secretary.

He is the first Liz Truss backer to stay in post under the new prime minister, in what could be seen as a show of unity following months of divisive politics within the Conservative Party.

After Ms Truss resigned, Mr Cleverly initially came out in support of Boris Johnson’s return to the top job.

But after the ex-PM gave up on his comeback, Mr Cleverly voiced support for Mr Sunak, saying he was the most experienced candidate for the job.

Ben Wallace

Although he backed Boris Johnson’s leadership bid, Ben Wallace has also kept his job as defence secretary.

He is one of the few cabinet secretaries to keep their job during both Mr Johnson and Ms Truss’s premierships – and now Mr Sunak.

It was not a given Mr Wallace would accept the job as Mr Sunak has not publicly committed to spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030.

Mr Wallace had said that was a red line for him and would quit if that pledge by Liz Truss was not kept to.

Suella Braverman

Suella Braverman is back as home secretary – less than a week she quit for breaching the ministerial code by sending classified documents from her personal email.

Her shock resignation came the day before Ms Truss followed her out of the door, and in an explosive letter to the former PM, she expressed “concerns about the direction of this government”, including its commitment to reducing immigration.

Ms Braverman has taken a tough stance on small boat crossings, and previously said it was her “dream” to see the Rwanda deportation flights take off.

From the right wing of the party, the former attorney general was not a natural Rishi Sunak supporter, announcing her backing of him late on Sunday.

Her appointment will be seen as trying to keep all wings of the party onboard, while showing Mr Sunak’s intention to take a hard line on immigration.

However, it could raise eyebrows given the nature of her resignation and past controversial comments.

One of Ms Braverman’s most notable speeches during her short time as home secretary under Ms Truss was when she blamed protest disruption on the “tofu-eating wokerati”.

Labour’s shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has criticised the appointment, accusing the Mr Sunak of putting “party before country”.

“Security is too important for this irresponsible Tory chaos,” she tweeted.

Penny Mordaunt

Penny Mordaunt, Mr Sunak’s two-time leadership rival, will be keeping her job as Commons Leader.

She had hoped to become prime minister, but was forced to bow out of the race at the last minute on Monday after failing to get the backing of enough MPs, leaving Mr Sunak as the only person left to be PM.

Sources close to her told Sky News last night she was hoping to be appointed as foreign secretary – so her appointment today may come as a blow.

The main role of a Commons leader is to organise government business in the House of Commons.

Sky News Chief political correspondent Jon Craig says she didn’t look too happy with the “graveyard slot in the Commons” when leaving Number 10.

Dominic Raab

Dominic Raab has been appointed deputy PM and justice secretary,

The loyal supporter of Mr Sunak has been handed his old jobs back, having held these roles for under Boris Johnson.

When the former prime minister was in hospital with COVID it was Mr Raab who took on the running of the country.

However, he was demoted from foreign secretary to justice secretary last September following criticism of his handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal.

During the leadership race to replace Mr Johnson, Mr Raab had called Ms Truss’s tax plans “electoral suicide” – so it was no surprise when he returned to the backbenches during her brief premiership.

Now that he has returned to his former post, one of the most pressing challenges he faces is reducing backlogs in the courts.

Grant Shapps

Grant Shapps, who was drafted in to replace Ms Braverman as home secretary just six days ago, has been appointed as business and energy secretary.

The Rishi Sunak ally has a wealth of experience in cabinet, having served as transport secretary under Boris Johnson.

Michael Gove

Meanwhile, Michael Gove has been reappointed to his old job as levelling up secretary – three months after being sacked by Boris Johnson.

Mr Gove was one of the first cabinet ministers to wield the knife as support around Mr Johnson crumbled back in July.

His comeback could be a tactical move by Mr Sunak, as Mr Gove has not been shy in criticising the government from the backbenches.

Steve Barclay

Steve Barclay has been appointed health secretary – taking over the position from Therese Coffey.

The former Brexit Secretary under Theresa May served as health secretary briefly over the summer in Boris Johnson’s interim cabinet.

Therese Coffey

Therese Coffey, a close friend and ally of Liz Truss who was deputy prime minister until today, has been appointed environment secretary under Rishi Sunak.

She had also held the position of health secretary – which has now been handed to Steve Barclay.

The former Brexit Secretary under Theresa May served as health secretary briefly over the summer in Boris Johnson’s interim cabinet.

Gillian Keegan

Gillian Keegan is Secretary of State for Education.

She is the fifth person to hold this role in just over a year – following the sacking of Gavin Williamson last September.

He was replaced by Nadhim Zahawi, and then Michelle Donelan, who quit after just 36 hours in the role during the mass exodus from Boris Johnson’s’ government.

She was replaced by James Cleverly, now foreign secretary, and Kit Malthouse, who left his government role earlier today.

A former junior minister in the education department, this is Ms Keegan’s first cabinet position.

Under Mr Johnson, Ms Keegan was the parliamentary under-secretary for apprenticeships and skills. She was then care and mental health minister in the health department and Liz Truss made her parliamentary under-secretary for Africa.

Kemi Badenoch

Kemi Badenoch, a former leadership candidate, has been reappointed as international trade secretary.

She is also minister for women and equalities under Rishi Sunak.

Ms Badenoch, the MP for Saffron Walden, was first handed the cabinet post by Liz Truss.

Simon Hart

Simon Hart has been appointed chief whip.

A popular MP across the party and former Welsh secretary, he is a good communicator so a natural for the job.

The chief whip is in charge of party discipline, telling Tory MPs how they should vote in certain votes.

Mel Stride

Mel Stride has been confirmed as the new work and pensions secretary.

It is perhaps unsurprising that he secured a cabinet position after running Rishi Sunak’s campaign in the Tory leadership contest over the summer.

Mr Stride was leader of the House of Commons between May and July of 2019.

He has also held a series of positions in the Treasury, and has loudly called for benefits to rise in line with inflation.

Nadhim Zahawi

Nadhim Zahawi has been appointed Conservative Party chairman.

Mr Zahawi was chancellor for a short period under Boris Johnson after Mr Sunak resigned – and famously called on the ex-PM to quit days after accepting the top cabinet job.

He also served as a vaccines minister and education secretary under Mr Johnson, and he was the made Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster under Ms Truss.

His appointment as chairman may come as a surprise, as he had backed Mr Johnson to return as prime minister during the last leadership race just weeks after calling for him to go.

After Mr Johnson withdrew from the race, he voiced support for Mr Sunak.

His new role will see him attend cabinet meetings but he will not have a department.

Michelle Donelan

A loyal Sunak supporter, Michelle Donelan has kept her job as secretary for digital, culture, media and sport.

The Chippenham MP was given the job by Liz Truss after taking over from Nadine Dorries, who Boris Johnson appointed.

She has previously signalled she could U-turn on Ms Dorries’ controversial plans to privatise Channel 4, saying the case was being “re-examined”.

Ms Donelan, who became an MP when Mr Sunak did in 2015, was previously education secretary for just two days under Boris Johnson.

He appointed her after a wave of cabinet resignations in July but she quit as, she said, Mr Johnson had “put us in an impossible position”.

Before that short tenure, she was a government whip, parliamentary under-secretary for children then universities minister before becoming minister for higher and further education, where she attended cabinet.

Chris Heaton Harris

Chris Heaton-Harris has been reappointed as Northern Ireland secretary under Rishi Sunak.

He was first appointed to this role by Liz Truss at the start of September.

He arguably has one of the most difficult portfolios, given the collapsed executive in Northern Ireland – where another election could soon be triggered – and disputes with the EU over post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Oliver Dowden

Rishi Sunak’s closest political friend has been given the important role of running the Cabinet Office.

He will be Mr Sunak’s ears and eyes in the Cabinet Office, which supports the PM and the cabinet, and ensures the effective running of government.

Who’s left so far:

Ahead of Mr Sunak announcing his key posts, a number of Liz Truss’s cabinet have already announced they are leaving government.

Jacob Rees-Mogg

Jacob Rees-Mogg kicked off the resignations on Tuesday, leaving his post as business secretary.

A close ally of both Boris Johnson and Ms Truss, he had earlier said he was not expecting to serve in Mr Sunak’s cabinet.

Mr Rees-Mogg famously called Mr Sunak a “socialist” during this summer’s Conservative Party leadership race because he refused to commit to the same level of tax cuts as Ms Truss – though today he backed down on those comments.

In his resignation letter, he wished Mr Sunak “every success” but added: “It is time to go.

“In the interests of the nation, the Conservative Party must unite under your leadership and I shall do all I can to support you.”

Brandon Lewis

Brandon Lewis, has also resigned as justice secretary, saying Mr Sunak has his “support from the backbenches”.

“Our party is at a crossroads,” Mr Lewis said in his resignation letter to the prime minister, adding that it is time to “reunite and rebuild”.

Robert Buckland

Robert Buckland is out as Welsh secretary, writing on Twitter that he was leaving “at my request”.

Mr Buckland initially supported Mr Sunak in the summer, but swapped to back Ms Truss.

Jake Berry

Jake Berry said it was an “honour” to serve as Conservative Party chairman but “all good things must come to an end”.

The Truss-backing MP for Rossendale and Darwen said he will “relish” his chance to serve his constituents again.

Kit Malthouse

Kit Malthouse, the fourth education secretary this year, tweeted: “As I leave the DfE, I do so with profound gratitude to officials, my private office team, and brilliant advisers, who all worked so hard.

“I hope my successor can harness their commitment to the most important mission in Whitehall: the future and welfare of our children.”

Chloe Smith

Chole Smith is also out as secretary of state for work and pensions. She was a big ally of Ms Truss, and had been reviewing whether to uprate benefits in line with inflation.

Ranil Jayawardena

Ranil Jayawardena is also out as environment secretary.

He wrote to Rishi Sunak: “I know that you wish for a new team to join you in HM government, so I write to stand aside.”

He added that he is “sure that HM Government will continue to deliver, and you will have my support in doing so”.

Simon Clarke

Levelling Up Secretary Simon Clarke has also left his role.

He said it was a “great privilege” to serve in the department, as well as in his previous role as chief secretary to the Treasury.

Mr Clarke was one of Liz Truss’s most vocal supporters during the summer.

He tweeted: “My loyalty to @trussliz and @BorisJohnson was sincere to the last and I appreciate deeply the opportunity they gave me. But I meant every word that I said yesterday: @Conservatives must unite under our new PM and should all work to ensure @RishiSunak succeeds. He has my support.”

Wendy Morton

Chief Whip Wendy Morton has also left the government, writing on Twitter that she is “heading to the backbenches”.

Her exit is perhaps unsurprising, as Ms Morton presided over a chaotic parliamentary party under Ms Truss’s premiership.

Her short time in the role culminated in farcical scenes during a Commons vote on fracking the night before Ms Truss announced her resignation, with claims of MPs being “bullied” into voting with the government.

Vicky Ford

Foreign minister Vicky Ford has also left the government. She told Sky News political correspondent Joe Pike that “space was needed to bring in new talent”.

She added: “I think that Rishi will make a very good government from all different parts of the party.

“Some of us need to move on in order to make sure he’s got room to bring in some really good talent from all across the party.”

Alok Sharma

Alok Sharma has departed as minister of state at the cabinet office. He will remain COP26 president and will negotiate on behalf of the UK at COP27.

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Driver hits several people on French holiday island of Ile d’Oleron

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Driver hits several people on French holiday island of Ile d'Oleron

A driver has knocked down several people on the French island of Ile d’Oleron.

Two people are in intensive care following the incident and a man has been arrested, French interior minister Laurent Nunez said.

Several others were injured after the motorist struck pedestrians and cyclists, he added.

Thibault Brechkoff, the mayor of Dolus-d’Oleron, told BFMTV the suspect shouted “Allahu Akbar” (Arabic for God is Greatest) when he was detained.

Arnaud Laraize, the public prosecutor in La Rochelle, told the Sud Ouest newspaper the 35-year-old suspect “resisted arrest” and was “subdued using a stun gun”.

He said the suspect was known for minor offences such as theft, adding he was not on a list of people considered a threat to national security.

Pedestrians and cyclists were hit on a road between Dolus d’Oleron and Saint-Pierre d’Oleron, he added.

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Police were alerted, with the first calls made at around 9am, according to French media reports.

Mr Nunez said in a post on X that he was heading to the scene at the request of the French prime minister.

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Aerial images show destruction of Typhoon Kalmaegi in Philippines – with at least 66 killed

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Aerial images show destruction of Typhoon Kalmaegi in Philippines - with at least 66 killed

At least 66 people have died after Typhoon Kalmaegi struck the Philippines, as footage emerges showing the scale of destruction.

A further 26 people have been reported missing, half of them in Cebu, where floods and mudslides killed at least 49 people, the Office of Civil Defence said.

Six crew members of a military helicopter were also killed when it crashed on the island of Mindanao, where it was carrying out a humanitarian disaster response mission, according to the military.

The powerful storm, locally named Tino, made landfall early on Tuesday and lashed the country with sustained winds of 87mph and gusts of up to 121mph.

Drone footage shows wrecked homes after heavy flooding in Cebu province. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Drone footage shows wrecked homes after heavy flooding in Cebu province. Pic: Reuters

Some communities have been wiped out. Pic: AP
Image:
Some communities have been wiped out. Pic: AP

‘State of calamity’ in Cebu

Several people were trapped on their roofs by floodwaters in the coastal town of Liloan in Cebu, said Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippine Red Cross.

She said in the city of Mandaune, also in Cebu, floodwaters were “up to the level of heads of people”, adding that several cars were submerged in floods or floated in another community in Cebu.

Cebu, a province of more than 2.4 million people, was still recovering from a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on 30 September, which left at least 79 people dead.

A state of calamity has been declared in the province to allow authorities to disburse emergency funds more rapidly.

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Entire towns flooded in the Philippines after typhoon

Damaged vehicles after flooding in Cebu City. Pic: AP
Image:
Damaged vehicles after flooding in Cebu City. Pic: AP

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Fierce winds either ripped off roofs or damaged around 300 mostly rural shanties on the island community of Homonhon in Eastern Samar, but there were no reported deaths or injuries, mayor Annaliza Gonzales Kwan said.

“There was no flooding at all, but just strong wind,” she said. “We’re okay. We’ll make this through. We’ve been through a lot, and bigger than this.”

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Red Cross staff rescue people and dogs. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Red Cross staff rescue people and dogs. Pic: Reuters

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

Hnndreds of thousands evacuated

Before Kalmaegi’s landfall, officials said more than 387,000 people had been evacuated to safer ground in eastern and central Philippine provinces.

The combination of Kalmaegi and a shear line brought heavy rains and strong winds across the Visayas and nearby areas, state weather agency PAGASA said.

A shear line is the boundary between two different air masses such as warm and cold air.

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

A boy with a goldfish he caught after a nearby fish farm flooded. Pic: AP
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A boy with a goldfish he caught after a nearby fish farm flooded. Pic: AP

Vietnam gears up for storm

The Vietnamese government has said it was preparing for the worst-case scenario as it braced for the impact of Kalmaegi.

The typhoon is forecast to reach Vietnam’s coasts on Friday morning. Several areas have already suffered heavy flooding over the last week, leaving at least 40 people.

Kalmaegi hit the Philippines as it continues to recover from several disasters, including earthquakes and severe weather over recent months.

Around 20 typhoons and storms hit the Philippines each year, and the country is also often struck by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes.

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Meet the underground squad with the lives of countless civilians in their hands

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Meet the underground squad with the lives of countless civilians in their hands

“Follow me and be careful,” says the commander, as he leads us down a narrow path in the dead of night.

The overgrown tract had once been occupied by the Russians, and there are landmines scattered on the side of the path.

But the men with us are more concerned about the threat from above.

Members of a unit in Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade, they run a covert operation from an underground cellar, tucked behind a ruined farmhouse.

And what they are doing in this old vegetable store is pushing the boundaries of war.

“This is the interceptor called Sting,” says the commander, named Betsik, holding up a cylindrical device with four propellers.

“It’s an FPV [first-person view] quad, it’s very fast, it can go up to 280km. There’s 600 grams of explosive packed in the cap.”

The Sting interceptor drone used by the Ukrainians
Image:
The Sting interceptor drone used by the Ukrainians

However, he had not told us the most important thing about this bulbous drone.

“It can easily destroy a Shahed,” he says with determination.

Devastating and indiscriminate drone attacks

Once viewed as a low-cost curiosity, the Iranian-designed Shahed drone has turned into a collective menace.

As Russia’s principal long-range attack weapon, enemy forces have fired 44,228 Shaheds into Ukraine this year, with production expected to rise to 6,000 per month by early next year.

A Shahed-136 drone used by Russia amid its attack on Ukraine, on display in London. Pic: Reuters
Image:
A Shahed-136 drone used by Russia amid its attack on Ukraine, on display in London. Pic: Reuters

The Russians are also changing the way they use them, launching vast, coordinated waves at individual cities.

The damage can be devastating and indiscriminate. This year, more 460 civilians have been killed by these so-called kamikaze weapons.

Russia’s strategy is straightforward. By firing hundreds of Shaheds on a single night, they aim to overload Ukraine’s air defences.

It is something Betsik reluctantly accepts.

Betsik observes the work of the team on in the cellar
Image:
Betsik observes the work of the team on in the cellar

Still, his unit has come up with a groundbreaking way to tackle it.

Perched in the centre of the vegetable store, we watch a youthful drone pilot and a couple of navigators staring at a bank of screens.

“Guys, there’s a Shahed 10km away from us. Can we fly there?” asks one of the navigators, called Kombucha.

He had just spotted a Shahed on the radar, but the enemy projectile was just out of reach.

“Well, actually 18 km – it’s too far,” Kombucha says.

“Do you know where it is going?” I ask.

“Yes, Izyum, the city. Flying over Izyum, I hope it won’t hit the city itself.”

Kombucha takes a deep breath.

“It is driving me nuts when you can see it moving, but you can’t do anything about it.”

The chase

The atmosphere soon changes.

“Let’s go. Help me lift the antenna.”

An engineer runs an interceptor drone up to the unit’s ad-hoc launch pad, located on a pile of flattened brick.

“The bomb is armed.”

The drone pilot, called Ptaha, tightens his grip on the controller and launches the Sting into the night sky.

Now, they hunt the Shahed down.

Their radar screen gives them an idea of where to look – but not a precise location.

“Target dropped altitude.”

“How much?”

“360 metres. You’re at 700.”

Instead, they analyse images produced by the interceptor’s thermal camera. The heat from the Shahed’s engine should generate a white spec, or dot, on the horizon. Still, it is never easy to find.

“Zoom out. Zoom out,” mutters Ptaha.

Then, a navigator code-named Magic thrusts his arm at the right-hand corner of the screen.

“There, there, there, b****!”

“I see it,” replies Ptaha.

The pilot manoeuvres the interceptor behind the Russian drone and works to decrease the distance between the two.

The chase is on. We watch as he steers the interceptor into the back of Shahed.

“We hit it,” he shouts.

“Did you detonate?”

“That was a Shahed, that was a Shahed, not a Gerbera.”

Going in for the kill

The Russians have developed a family of drones based on the Shahed, including a decoy called the Gerbera, which is designed to overwhelm Ukrainian defences.

However, the 3rd Brigade tells us these Gerberas are now routinely packed with explosives.

“I can see you’ve developed a particular technique to take them all down,” I suggest to Ptaha. “You circle around and try to catch them from behind?”

“Yes, because if you fly towards it head-on, due to the fact that the speed of the Shahed…”

The pilot breaks off.

“Guys, target 204 here.”

It’s clear that a major Russian bombardment is under way.

“About five to six km,” shouts Magic.

With another target to chase, the unit fires an interceptor into the sky.

Ptaha stares at the interceptor’s thermal camera screen.

The lives of countless Ukrainians depend on this 21-year-old.

“There, I see it. I see it. I see it.”

The team pursues their target before Ptaha goes in for the kill.

“There’s going to be a boom!” says Magic excitedly.

“Closing in.”

On the monitor, the live feed from the drone is replaced by a sea of fuzzy grey.

“Hit confirmed.”

“Motherf*****!”

‘In a few months it will be possible to destroy most of them’

The Russians would launch more than 500 drones that night.

Betsik and his men destroyed five with their Sting interceptors and the commander seemed thrilled with the result.

“I’d rate it five out of five. Nice. Five launches, five targets destroyed. One hundred percent efficiency. I like that.”

Maxim Zaychenko
Image:
Maxim Zaychenko

Nevertheless, 71 long-range projectiles managed to slip through Ukraine’s air defences, despite efforts made to stop them.

The head of the air defence section in 3rd Brigade, Maxim Zaychenko, told us lessons were being learnt in this underground cellar that would have to be shared with the entire Ukrainian army.

“As the number of Shaheds has increased we’ve set ourselves the task of forming combat crews and acquiring the capabilities to intercept them… it’s a question of scaling combat crews with the right personnel and equipment along the whole contact line.”

Betsik speaks to Sky News
Image:
Betsik speaks to Sky News

Buoyed by the night’s successes, Betsik was optimistic.

“In a few months, like three to five, it will be possible to destroy most of them,” he said.

“You really think that?” I replied.

“This is the future, I am not dreaming about it, I know it will be.”

Photography by Katy Scholes.

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