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Rishi Sunak is being urged to overhaul the cabinet on his first day as prime minister.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told Sky News that the new PM’s government should feature the best ministers available – rather than focusing on those who are loyal.

“We have got to have the first 15 on the pitch. I know that Rishi understands that,” Mr Cleverly said.

Reshuffle rumours as some Tory members said to be ‘fuming’ – new PM latest

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The challenges facing Sunak as PM

Mr Sunak’s team are keeping tight-lipped about any potential reshuffle moves – but Sky News understands that recently appointed Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is likely to keep his job.

The new prime minister will be officially appointed by King Charles this morning, and is set to make a public address in front of Number 10 before lunchtime.

Sky News will have full coverage of Mr Sunak’s first day in the job – and you can find out more details of today’s key timings here.

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Reports suggest he is planning to build a cabinet of “all the talents” that will see the political return of the “adults”.

Long-time backers of Mr Sunak – including ex-justice secretary Dominic Raab, Commons treasury committee chair Mel Stride and ex-chief whip Mark Harper – are tipped to be in the cabinet, as well as former party chairman Oliver Dowden.

Many of the most senior posts are expected to go to those who have consistently supported him – including when he lost to Ms Truss in the last Conservative leadership race that began just three months ago.

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Three PMs in three months: A timeline

Newly appointed Home Secretary Grant Shapps will be hoping to keep his job after backing Mr Sunak both in July and in recent days.

Mr Hunt is widely expected to remain in Number 11 as he works towards a highly anticipated fiscal statement on Halloween, as part of attempts to stabilise jittery markets.

But another source in the new PM’s camp told Sky News that discussions are still ongoing – and cautioned that no decisions have been made.

And Penny Mordaunt – who bowed out of the race after failing to get the required 100 nominations from Tory MPs – could also receive some kind of promotion.

There is speculation that she could replace Mr Cleverly in the Foreign Office, and a source close to Ms Mordaunt has told Sky News that she would like to be offered the role.

Suella Braverman and Kemi Badenoch – favourites of Conservative members to the right of the party – will also be hoping to serve in Mr Sunak’s top team after endorsing his latest campaign.

Veteran cabinet minister Michael Gove – who was sacked as levelling up secretary in the dying days of the Johnson government – and former defence secretary Gavin Williamson are other high-profile backers of the Sunak campaign who could be rewarded.

Read more:
Who is Rishi Sunak? The UK’s first British Asian prime minister
Sunak v Starmer – How do they measure up in the eyes of voters?
Beth Rigby: Can new PM repair and reunite the Tories?

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Tories ‘can’t keep doling out PMs’

‘Unite or die’

Mr Sunak will become the country’s first Hindu leader and the UK’s youngest prime minister in modern political history – beating all his predecessors except William Pitt the Younger, who was just 24 when he took office in 1783.

The 42-year-old only became an MP in 2015 and has had a swift rise to the top job.

Speaking to Tory politicians yesterday, he acknowledged the “profound economic challenge” that the nation now faces – and reportedly warned that the party must “unite or die” as they focus on delivering the public’s priorities.

He now has the difficult task of steering the nation through a crisis that was exacerbated by Ms Truss’s government’s disastrous mini-budget, which caused the pound to fall to a record low.

Last week, she resigned after just 44 days in office.

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The challenges facing Sunak as PM

In an 86-second address to the nation yesterday afternoon, Mr Sunak promised to serve with “integrity and humility” and praised Ms Truss for having served during “exceptionally difficult circumstances”.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Nadhim Zahawi said Mr Sunak becoming prime minister proves “the United Kingdom is a place where you can achieve amazing things”.

But opposition parties have reiterated their calls for an immediate general election – stressing that Mr Sunak has “no mandate” to govern.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting has said “the public are clamouring for a say”, adding: “The Conservative Party is a sclerotic mess.

“They are chaotic and who’s to say Rishi Sunak isn’t going to be out in six months’ time because you can hear the knives sharpening in Westminster of the disgruntled Borisites … who still think Rishi knifed Boris Johnson in the back.”

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

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JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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Boy dies after ‘getting into difficulty’ in lake in southeast London

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Boy dies after 'getting into difficulty' in lake in southeast London

A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.

Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.

The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.

“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.

The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.

The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.

In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.

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google street view inside Beckenham Place park, Lewisham where a 16 y/o boy is missing after getting into difficulty in a lake
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Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon

Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.

The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.

It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.

“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”

Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.

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