UK PM Liz Truss' Cabinet is diverse in makeup and solidly on the right

Liz Truss's new Cabinet is Britain's most diverse ever, with women serving as prime minister and deputy prime minister and Black and South Asian politicians filling many of the top jobs.

While they come from different backgrounds, the new ministers share Truss' small-state, free-market economic views and staunch support for Britain's exit from the European Union.

The government's diversity reflects years of work by the right-of-centre Conservative Party to shake its pale, male and stale image. Former Prime Minister David Cameron, who was party leader between 2005 and 2016, made a push to draft diverse candidate shortlists for winnable seats.

The drive has transformed the upper tiers of a party whose 172,000-strong national membership remains overwhelmingly white and largely male. Among Tory legislators, 24 per cent are women and 6 per cent belong to ethnic minorities.

The main opposition Labour Party is more diverse and gets more support from non-white voters but has yet to have