London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Mar 07, 2026

Liz Truss: New cabinet a near-total purge of Sunak backers

Liz Truss: New cabinet a near-total purge of Sunak backers

It was gone half 10 on Tuesday night and cabinet positions were still being filled - a self-imposed deadline from the prime minister approaching with the first meeting of the cabinet at 8.30 BST this morning.

There are a handful of striking things about its composition.

There has been a near-total purge of those who backed Rishi Sunak.

The only one who I can spot is Michael Ellis, the new attorney general for England and Wales.

And even he will attend cabinet rather than being a cabinet minister, subtle though that distinction is.

This dominance of Truss campaign supporters around the Truss top table is already prompting grumbling among some Tory MPs, although we do await appointments to the more junior ranks in government.

The prime minister's desire for loyalty and building a government in her own image runs the risk of provoking rebellion down the track.

One adviser told me her top team needed to pass "the Today programme test" as it was put to me.

Could they go on Radio 4 in the morning and answer questions from Nick Robinson and gang along the lines of: "Minister, on 17 August you said this very disobliging thing about the now prime minister, how on earth can you now credibly serve in her cabinet?"

And yes, clearly some of Rishi Sunak's most gobby supporters might have found such a scenario a little tricky.

And No 10 would have found it excruciating.

But there were members of Team Sunak whose support of the former chancellor was more understated, who might have been expected by many to still serve Liz Truss at the top table - and there is no place for them.

Take Grant Shapps, the former transport secretary, one of Boris Johnson's best cabinet communicators, now on the backbenches.

Mr Johnson often faced a similar criticism in his appointments by the way - the accusation that he promoted based on loyalty rather than competence.

No 10 argues the cabinet represents the "depth and breadth of talent in the Conservative Party" and so point out five other contenders for the party leadership feature in it.

They insist too it will unify the party.

Another thing that is worth a mention - ethnic diversity.

Rewind not that many years and cabinets looked very blokey and very white, particularly in what are known as the great offices of state - the prime minister, the chancellor, the home secretary and the foreign secretary.

Now it is the complete opposite, with Liz Truss, Kwasi Kwarteng, Suella Braverman and James Cleverly.

And a final observation: churn at the top of government.

I've written here in the last few days about the turnover of prime ministers in recent years - four in the space of a little over six years.

But the churn extends to the cabinet too.

We had a long standing observer of Conservative politics on the BBC's Newscast podcast, Lord Barwell, who worked in Downing Street for Theresa May.

He made the point that there is just one survivor around the cabinet table from David Cameron's time as prime minister, six years ago.

Her name?

Liz Truss.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Starmer Defends UK Role in Iran Conflict After Renewed Criticism from President Trump
Blue Owl Reveals £36 Million Exposure After Collapse of UK Lender Serving Wealthy Clients
UK Asylum Reform Plan Triggers Fierce Debate Over Border Control and Humanitarian Impact
US Stealth Bombers Head to UK Base as Trump Issues Stark Warning to Iran
UK Deputy Prime Minister Says Legal Case Could Exist for British Strikes on Iranian Missile Sites
Investigators Link Mysterious Parcel Fires Across Europe to Russian Intelligence Operation
Debate Intensifies Over Britain’s Legal Justification for US Military Operations Launched From UK Bases
Britain Faces Heightened Energy Price Risks as Iran-Linked Tensions Threaten Global Oil and Gas Supplies
British Counter-Terror Police Arrest Four Suspected of Spying on Jewish Community for Iran
Axel Springer Agrees $770 Million Deal to Acquire Britain’s Daily Telegraph
Iceland Supermarket Drops Trademark Challenge Against Icelandic Government in Long-Running Naming Dispute
UK Defence Secretary Visits Cyprus Following Scrutiny of Britain’s Response to Drone Attacks
Questions Grow Over Britain’s Military Readiness as Response to Iran Conflict Draws Scrutiny
UK Offers Failed Asylum Seeker Families Up to Forty Thousand Pounds to Leave Voluntarily
Saharan Dust Could Bring ‘Blood Rain’ to Parts of the UK as Weather Systems Shift
UK Deploys Additional Typhoon Fighter Jets to Qatar and Helicopters to Cyprus Amid Rising Middle East Tensions
Experts Urge Britain to Accelerate Renewable Energy Push as Global Conflicts Drive Up Costs
British Public Shows Strong Reluctance to Join Wider War in Iran
First UK Evacuation Flight Departs Middle East After Lengthy Delay
United Kingdom Imposes New Visa Requirements on Travelers from St. Lucia and Nicaragua
Iran Conflict Strains U.S.–U.K. Alliance as Trump and Starmer Clash Over Military Strategy
UK Interest Rates Could Rise Above Four Percent Again if Energy Shock Continues, Think Tank Warns
Starmer Defends Britain’s Iran Strategy as Badenoch Urges Stronger Military Support
Labour MP Says She Saw No Sign Husband Broke Law After Arrest in China Espionage Investigation
UK Jobless Rate Overtakes Italy’s for First Time in Years as Labour Market Weakens
United Kingdom Suspends Student Visas for Four Countries in Unprecedented Immigration Move
Campaigners Warn UK Student Visa Ban Could Push Migrants Toward Dangerous Channel Crossings
First U.K. Charter Flight for Stranded Nationals Set to Depart Oman Amid Middle East Crisis
France and United Kingdom Deploy Warships to Eastern Mediterranean as Middle East Conflict Escalates
U.K. Arrests Three Men Including Lawmaker’s Partner in Suspected China Espionage Investigation
Trump Says UK–US ‘Special Relationship’ Is Diminished Amid Middle East Dispute
UK Economic Forecasts Face Fresh Strain from Middle East Conflict and Rising Energy Costs
UK Reaffirms Close US Ties After Trump’s Public Criticism
Reeves Stresses Stability and Fiscal Discipline in UK Budget Update as Growth Outlook Shifts
UK Deploys Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Dragon to Cyprus After Drone Strike on RAF Base
Green Party Surges Past Labour in New UK Poll as Traditional Party Support Crumbles
Majority of Britons Oppose U.S. Use of UK Military Bases in Iran Conflict
UK Intensifies Evacuation Efforts from Oman, Working with Airlines to Boost Flight Capacity
Trump Condemns UK and Spain in Unusually Sharp Rift Over Iran Military Action
Trump Repeats UK Claims That Diverge from Verified Facts Amid Diplomatic Strain
UK Arrests Prominent Figures Linked to Epstein Network as Questions Mount Over US Action
Trump Says UK ‘Took Far Too Long’ to Approve Use of Airbases for Iran Strikes
Scope of Britain’s Role in the Expanding Middle East Conflict Comes Under Scrutiny
Trump Says He Is ‘Very Disappointed’ in Starmer Over Iran Comments
U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Struck by Drones Amid Escalating Iran Conflict
Starmer Confronts Strategic Test After Drone Strike Near British Base in Cyprus
Rolls-Royce Chief Signals Openness to Germany Joining UK-Led Fighter Jet Programme
UK Stocks Slip as Escalating Iran Conflict Triggers Global Market Selloff
UK Overhauls Asylum System to Make Refugee Status Temporary
Starmer Warns of ‘Reckless’ Iranian Strikes Amid Escalating Regional Tensions
×