"The prime minister has put in place a strong and united team which is going to deliver for the United Kingdom," Ms Truss said.

"We're determined to deliver on the people's priorities and help level up the country.

"I'm delighted to be appointed foreign secretary to promote a positive outward vision of global Britain which is going to deliver for people right across the UK."

Moments before Ms Truss arrived at Downing Street, Mr Raab left and it was announced he had been appointed as deputy prime minister, lord chancellor and justice secretary.

His demotion comes after he was heavily criticised for being on holiday as the Taliban took power in Afghanistan.

Ms Truss, 46, has completed a number of post-Brexit trade deals with countries around the world and is popular with Conservative Party members.

She will remain as minister for women and equalities.

A former justice and environment secretary under Theresa May, Ms Truss' appointment means she is the second-ever female foreign secretary, after Labour's Margaret Beckett under Tony Blair.

Women now occupy two of the four top cabinet jobs after Priti Patel was confirmed as keeping her job as home secretary.

The other two top jobs are chancellor, kept by Rishi Sunak, and the prime minister himself.

Mr Johnson said his new cabinet would "work tirelessly to unite and level up the whole country".

He added: "We will build back better from the pandemic and deliver on your priorities.

"Now let's get on with the job."

Leading Conservative MP Michael Gove was appointed as housing, communities and local government secretary moments after Ms Truss, replacing Robert Jenrick who returns to the backbenches.

Mr Gove also takes on cross-government responsibility for the levelling-up agenda and retains responsibility for the union and elections.

Joining Mr Jenrick on the backbenches is Gavin Williamson who was sacked as education secretary, and Robert Buckland who has lost his job as justice secretary.

Tory party co-chair Amanda Milling has also been ousted, just weeks before the Conservative conference.

Ms Truss, who grew up in Scotland and Leeds, read philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University, where she was president of the university's Liberal Democrats before joining the Conservative Party in 1996.

A qualified management accountant, she was a local councillor in Greenwich before becoming the MP for South West Norfolk in 2010.

She was quickly appointed as a junior minister in the Department for Education, then became environment secretary then justice secretary under Theresa May, the first woman to hold the position.

In 2017, Ms Truss was moved to chief secretary to the Treasury, attending cabinet, and became an avid Twitter and Instagram user.

She ran in the leadership campaign against Boris Johnson but was unsuccessful and then endorsed Mr Johnson who rewarded her with the international trade brief.

The minister has since negotiated post-Brexit trade deals with multiple countries, the first major one being Japan.

Ms Truss, who is married with two daughters, announced in December the civil service would no longer be using unconscious bias training after giving a speech saying the UK focused too heavily on "fashionable" race, sexuality and gender issues at the expense of poverty and geographical disparity.