Liz Truss has big smile on her face as she arrives for first day as Foreign Secretary
Newly appointed Foreign Secretary Liz Truss looked rather pleased as she arrived for work this morning in Westminster.
She was given a substantial promotion in Boris Johnson’s Cabinet reshuffle yesterday, having previously worked as trade secretary.
The MP for South West Norfolk replaces Dominic Raab, who has been demoted to Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor.
It is thought Number 10 were keen not to make it seem like a step down, so he was also given the additional job of Deputy Prime Minister.
Westminster sources say he was digging in his heels as he went to Downing Street during the PM’s shakeup.
Truss’s promotion to one of the top three most coveted jobs in Cabinet is significant, as the first female Foreign Secretary from the Conservative Party.
Johnson has previously been criticised for not appointing enough women into his cabinet, particularly to more senior positions.
Announcing her new job yesterday, Truss tweeted: ‘Delighted to be appointed Foreign Secretary and lead @FCDOGovUK.
‘Looking forward to: Working with allies to tackle the greatest global challenges, promoting a positive, outward-looking #GlobalBritain and ensuring our foreign policy delivers for people across the United Kingdom.’
Described by allies as ‘one of the only true capitalists left in the cabinet’, Truss is said to have appealed to party members to support free enterprise over the ‘inexorably growing the size of the state’.
In her two years as head of the Department for International Trade, she banged the drum for her post-Brexit ‘global Britain’ vision.
The 46-year-old remainer has struck trade deals with Japan and Australia, as well as rollover agreements with 66 of the 70 countries the UK previously had deals with as an EU member.
But critics say Britain has been forced to downgrade its ambitions to the mercy of bigger global players and that Truss hasn’t done enough to ease concerns about watered-down standards.
Truss’s first international trip as Foreign Secretary is expected to be as early as next week, as she joins the MP to the UN general assembly meeting in New York.
The agenda will include ‘rekindling our relationship with the US’, a senior Tory told the Guardian.
After a series of big announcements yesterday, it was confirmed this morning that John Whittingdale has been sacked as Media Minister and is returning to the backbenches.
The MP tweeted: ‘I am sorry to be stepping down as Minister for Media and Data and saying goodbye to a great team of ministers and officials.
‘It has been a privilege to play a part in shaping the future of UK public service broadcasting and in reforming our data laws using our new Brexit freedom.’
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