Rishi Sunak claims new cabinet ‘reflects a unified party’ as Suella Braverman and Michael Gove make shock comebacks
Rishi Sunak has reinstated Suella Braverman as home secretary only six days after she resigned, in a cabinet reshuffle which Downing Street said “reflects a unified party”.
Ms Braverman, a favourite of the Conservative right, stepped down last Wednesday after admitting to sending secure government information from her personal email and being accused of breaching the ministerial code.
Labour’s Yvette Cooper accused the new PM of putting “party before country” in reinstating her in one of the four great offices of state.
“Our national security and public safety are too important for this kind of chaos,” she said.
New PM – latest updates from Downing Street
Elsewhere in his new cabinet, Mr Sunak culled many of those who had featured in Ms Truss’s top team – including former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg and former justice secretary Brandon Lewis – while rewarding his allies with cabinet roles.
His closest ally Oliver Dowden was rewarded with a promotion to Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, loyalist Mark Harper was handed the role of transport secretary and Mr Sunak’s leadership campaign manager Mel Stride was given the work and pensions brief.
But there was an element of continuity with the previous administration, with James Cleverly kept on as foreign secretary and Ben Wallace as defence secretary.
Mr Sunak also revived the careers of experienced frontbenchers including Dominic Raab and Michael Gove, who was sacked by Boris Johnson in the dying days of his government after urging him to stand down.
Mr Raab was named as deputy prime minister and justice secretary, roles he held under Mr Johnson before he was sacked by Ms Truss.
Mr Gove returns as levelling up secretary, a job he held before his dismissal.
Sir Gavin Williamson makes a surprise return as cabinet office minister without portfolio, having been kicked out of government in 2019 when he was defence secretary over a National Security Council leak and then sacked as education secretary in 2021 for his handling of the pandemic’s impact on schools.
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Suella Braverman returns to her role of home secretary
Another to return to the frontbenches is the former housing secretary Robert Jenrick who was appointed immigration minister.
Penny Mordaunt came out of the new cabinet as leader of the Commons, failing to win a promotion after she challenged Mr Sunak for the leadership.
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Mr Sunak confirmed he would be keeping Jeremy Hunt in position as chancellor in an attempt to reassure the financial markets after saying in his first speech outside Number 10 that he would fix the “mistakes” of his predecessor.
In a six-minute speech after he was officially appointed PM by King Charles, he said the UK was facing a “profound economic crisis” and prepared the nation for “difficult decisions” as he criticised his predecessor’s record.
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In his maiden address Rishi Sunak said: ‘I will fix mistakes’
A Number 10 source said that Mr Sunak’s cabinet “brings the talents of the party together”.
“It reflects a unified party and a cabinet with significant experience, ensuring that at this uncertain time there is continuity at the heart of government,” the source said.
“The hard work begins now and together, the prime minister’s new cabinet will deliver for the British people.”
On Tuesday evening, seeking to distance himself from Ms Truss, Mr Sunak spoke to both Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford.
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The PM said he “emphasised” their duty to work closely together, while Ms Sturgeon described the conversation as “constructive”.
His predecessor had not spoken to either leader during her brief spell in office.
Mr Sunak also spoke to US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy in his first few hours as PM.
On Wednesday morning, Sky News understands the new PM will hold the first meeting of his cabinet before, at noon, he goes head-to-head with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions.
He will then begin work on tackling the cost of living crisis and rebalancing the country’s finances, with decisions needing to be quickly made on what extra help may be required to help the most vulnerable.
The new PM will need to confirm whether his government will be pressing ahead with its fiscal statement on Monday.
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How ‘profound’ are our economic woes?
Mr Sunak became the UK’s first PM of Asian heritage and the youngest for more than 200 years when he was asked to form a government by the King at Buckingham Palace.
He entered Downing Street after winning the Conservative leadership contest on Monday, after Mr Johnson and Ms Mordaunt withdrew before a single vote was cast.
Mr Johnson, who was tipped to make a comeback less than two months after resigning as PM, offered his congratulations to Mr Sunak after his Downing Street address.
It is expected that Mr Sunak will finalise his government on Wednesday by appointing junior ministers.
World
‘At least 798 killed’ at Gaza aid points – as medical charity warns acute malnutrition at all-time high
At least 798 people in Gaza have reportedly been killed while receiving aid in the past six weeks – while acute malnutrition is said to have reached an all-time high.
The UN human rights office said 615 of the deaths – between 27 May and 7 July – were “in the vicinity” of sites run by the controversial US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
A further 183 people killed were “presumably on the route of aid convoys,” said Ravina Shamdasani, from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Its figures are based on a range of sources, including hospitals, cemeteries, and families in the Gaza Strip, as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs), its partners on the ground, and Hamas-run health authorities.
Aid agency Project Hope said on Thursday that 10 children were among at least 15 people killed as they waited for its clinic in Deir al Balah to open.
Ten children were reportedly killed when Israel attacked near a clinic on Thursday. Pic: AP
The GHF has claimed the UN figures are “false and misleading” and has repeatedly denied any violence at or around its sites.
Meanwhile, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) – also known as Doctors Without Borders – said two of its sites were seeing their worst-ever levels of severe malnutrition.
Cases at its Gaza City clinic are said to have tripled from 293 in May to 983 in early July.
“Over 700 pregnant or breastfeeding women and nearly 500 children are now receiving emergency nutritional care,” MSF said.
The humanitarian medical charity said food prices were at extreme levels, with sugar at $766 (£567) per kilo and flour $30 (£22) per kilo, and many families surviving on one meal of rice or lentils a day.
It’s a major concern for the estimated 55,000 pregnant women in Gaza, who risk miscarriage, stillbirth and malnourished infants because of the shortages.
The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, after Israel eased its 11-week blockade of aid into the coastal territory.
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US aid contractors claim live ammo fired at Palestinians
It has four distribution centres, three of which are in the southern Gaza Strip.
The sites, kept off-limits to independent media, are guarded by private security contractors and located in zones where the Israeli military operates.
Palestinian witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire towards crowds of people going to receive aid.
The Israeli military says it has fired warning shots at people who have behaved in what it says is a suspicious manner.
It says its forces operate near the aid sites to stop supplies from falling into the hands of militants.
Read more:
GHF aid distribution linked to increased deaths
Gaza situation ‘apocalyptic’, says UN expert
After the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians trying to reach the aid hubs, the United Nations has called the GHF’s aid model “inherently unsafe” and a violation of humanitarian impartiality standards.
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In response, a GHF spokesperson said: “The fact is the most deadly attacks on aid sites have been linked to UN convoys.”
The GHF says it has delivered more than 70 million meals to Gazans in five weeks and claims other humanitarian groups had “nearly all of their aid looted” by Hamas or criminal gangs.
At least 798 people in Gaza have been killed while receiving aid in six weeks, the UN human rights office has said.
A spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said 615 of the killings were “in the vicinity” of sites run by the controversial US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
A further 183 people killed were “presumably on the route of aid convoys,” Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva.
The office said its figures are based on numbers from a range of sources, including hospitals, cemeteries and families in the Gaza Strip, as well as NGOs, its partners on the ground and the Hamas-run health authorities.
The GHF has claimed the figures are “false and misleading”. It has repeatedly denied there has been any violence at or around its sites.
The organisation began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, after Israel eased its 11-week blockade of aid into the enclave.
It has four distribution centres, three of which are in the southern Gaza Strip. The sites, kept off-limits to independent media, are guarded by private security contractors and located in zones where the Israeli military operates.
Palestinian witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire towards crowds of people going to receive aid.
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US aid contractors claim live ammo fired at Palestinians
The Israeli military says it has fired warning shots at people who have behaved in what they say is a suspicious manner.
It says its forces operate near the aid sites to stop supplies falling into the hands of militants.
Read more:
GHF aid distribution linked to increased deaths
Gaza situation ‘apocalyptic’, says UN expert
After the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians trying to reach the aid hubs, the United Nations has called the GHF’s aid model “inherently unsafe” and a violation of humanitarian impartiality standards.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
In response, a GHF spokesperson told the Reuters news agency: “The fact is the most deadly attacks on aid sites have been linked to UN convoys.”
The GHF says it has delivered more than 70 million meals to Gazans in five weeks and claims other humanitarian groups had “nearly all of their aid looted” by Hamas or criminal gangs.
Ten children and two women are among at least 15 killed in an airstrike near a Gaza health clinic, according to an aid organisation.
Project Hope said it happened this morning near Altayara Junction, in Deir al Balah, as patients waited for the clinic to open.
The organisation’s president called it a “blatant violation of international humanitarian law, and a stark reminder that no one and no place is safe in Gaza“.
“No child waiting for food and medicine should face the risk of being bombed,” added the group’s project manager, Dr Mithqal Abutaha.
“It was a horrific scene. People had to come seeking health and support, instead they faced death.”
Operations at the clinic – which provides a range of health and maternity services – have been suspended.
Some of the children were reportedly waiting to receive nutritional supplements, necessary due to the dire shortage of food being allowed into Gaza.
Israel‘s military is investigating and said it was targeting a militant who took part in the 7 October terror attack.
“The IDF [Israel Defence Force] regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimize harm as much as possible,” added.
The deaths come as an agreement over a 60-day truce hangs in the balance – with President Trump cautiously saying it could happen “this week, or next week”.
Elsewhere in Gaza, the Nasser Hospital reported another 21 deaths in airstrikes in Khan Younis and in the nearby coastal area of Muwasi.
It said three children and their mother were among the dead.
Israel said its troops have been dismantling more than 130 Hamas infrastructure sites in Khan Younis over the past week, including missile launch sites, weapons storage facilities and a 500m tunnel.
On Wednesday, a soldier was shot dead when militants burst out of a tunnel and tried to abduct him, the military added.
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Eighteen soldiers have been killed in the past three weeks – one of the deadliest periods for the Israeli army in months.
A 22-year-old Israeli man was also killed on Thursday by two attackers in a supermarket in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said the Magen David Adom emergency service.
People on site reportedly shot and killed the attackers but information on their identity has so far not been released.
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IDF chief says conditions ‘created’ for Gaza ceasefire
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Lack of food and water ‘lethal’ for Gaza children
Negotiations over a proposed 60-day ceasefire are ongoing and President Trump reportedly put “heavy” pressure on Israel’s leader, who visited the US this week.
A major sticking point is said to be the status of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) inside Gaza during the 60-day ceasefire and beyond, should it last longer.
However, Sky News understands the Israeli government thinks the chances of a permanent truce are “questionable”.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
More than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war – more than half are women and children, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health ministry.
Its figure does not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
The war began in October 2023 after Hamas killed around 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 251 others.
Some of them remain In Gaza and are a crucial part of ceasefire negotiations, which also include a planned surge in humanitarian aid into the strip.
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