Summary

  • Liz Truss has continued to appoint more ministers in her government after she became prime minister on Tuesday

  • Former Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick and leading Brexiteer Steve Baker are among the new appointments

  • The Queen has postponed an online meeting of the Privy Council after being advised by royal doctors to rest

  • Earlier, Truss and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer clashed over how to fund energy bills support at her first Prime Minister's Questions

  • Truss promised to help people with soaring energy bills, but ruled out a new windfall tax on energy producers

  • But Sir Keir said "the money's got to come from somewhere" after Truss also pledged to cut taxes

  • The government is set to announce a package of support with energy bills tomorrow

  1. Education will be a 'daunting' brief, says Malthousepublished at 17:31 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    Education Secretary Kit Malthouse arriving in Downing Street this morningImage source, PA Media

    Kit Malthouse, appointed by Liz Truss as education secretary yesterday, has thanked the new prime minister for his new role.

    The former policing minister said in a tweet , externalthat it is "a daunting prospect and a singular honour".

    Malthouse takes over from James Cleverly - who is now foreign secretary - and is the fifth person in the job in less than a year.

  2. Truss impresses during speech to backbencherspublished at 17:20 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    Ione Wells
    Reporting from the Houses of Parliament

    Liz Truss has just been addressing her backbench MPs. I’m told the key themes were energy and “growth”.

    Mark Francois MP said on leaving that it was “Impressive. Assured.

    "She answered questions directly... generally there’s an overall impression it was a really impressive start.

    "She was very good at understanding some of the real concerns of backbenchers... some of the changes at No 10 and how they are going to interrelate with colleagues. To have greater involvement with backbenchers.”

    One Rishi Sunak supporter said: “There’s no such thing as 'Rishi people' or 'Liz people' any more”.

    They said the “ship has steadied” and seemed quite pleased with the style of PMQs Truss had.

    A Truss supporter and Boris Johnson-backer said post-PMQs that she had a change of style, hadn’t got Boris’s boosterism, but it was “crisp and that’s what needed.”

    I’ve heard from some Sunak-backing MPs, though, that there is a nervousness about the expectation of billions of pounds of more government borrowing to be announced tomorrow - a key dividing line throughout the campaign.

  3. WATCH: What did Truss and Starmer say about windfall tax in PMQs?published at 17:06 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    Media caption,

    PM Liz Truss says she is against a windfall tax

    Here's a reminder of Liz Truss and Keir Starmer's clash on windfall tax during her first Prime Minister's Questions earlier today

    The Labour leader challenged Truss on her stance of being against extra taxation on energy company profits.

    Truss said she was against a windfall tax because she believes it puts off companies investing in the UK.

  4. Energy bills freeze would offer peace of mind - Martin Lewispublished at 16:51 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    Founder of Money Saving Expert and financial journalist Martin Lewis told the BBC he "very much welcomes" rumoured plans for a freeze on energy prices, which Liz Truss is expected to announce tomorrow.

    Lewis said the measures were expensive and not targeted at those who most need support, but would "fulfil the remit of giving many people a sigh of relief that they are able to pay their energy bills in the short term".

    It has been reported that the price cap will rise to £2,500 and it will stay at that level for 18 months unless wholesale rates come down. This, combined with the previously-announced £400 discount, will effectively take the price cap down to £2,100.

    Asked what this means for consumers, Lewis told BBC Radio 5 Live: "If you're on a fixed tariff below this price cap, you'll want to stay on it."

    If, however, you recently chose to go for a fixed tariff and are now paying more, Lewis said he hoped customers would be able to leave these tariffs without a penalty and switch to a variable one instead and benefit from lower prices.

  5. What's the difference between a minister and secretary of state?published at 16:40 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    Stock image of the door of No 10 Downing StreetImage source, Getty Images

    The new government is taking shape, with more appointments being made by Prime Minister Liz Truss.

    Right now we're hearing about various ministers (also known as junior ministers) being appointed.

    These officials can be either MPs or Lords - and they work underneath secretaries of state (senior ministers) in any given government department.

    Both ranks are expected to show loyalty to the government, for example in key votes.

    Junior ministers are given a title according to the portfolio of work for which they take responsibility. For example, an MP can be made a policing minister within the Home Office, under the direction of the home secretary.

    Their brief can involve more detail - for example, dealing with correspondence and helping get bills passed - than that of a secretary of state, who tend to be involved in more strategic decision-making.

    Junior ministers are generally not given a seat at the table for a meeting of the cabinet: the prime minister's innermost circle.

    The appointments are formally made by the Queen, but on the advice of the prime minister.

    Ministerial jobs are paid positions - although parliamentary private secretaries, who are appointed by ministers, are more junior still and don't get extra money for their work.

  6. More junior ministers appointed to Truss's governmentpublished at 16:26 British Summer Time 7 September 2022
    Breaking

    The junior ministerial appointments are coming in thick and fast now, with a second round of posts just announced.

    The second set of junior ministers include:

    • Paul Scully, who has survived the reshuffle to be reappointed as London minister in the department for levelling up, housing and communities
    • Jesse Norman and Leo Docherty have been made ministers at the Foreign Office
    • In the home office are Tom Pursglove and Jeremy Quin
    • Jackie Doyle-Price becomes a minister at the department for business, energy and industrial strategy
    • The department for international trade will welcome Conor Burns
    • And Mark Spencer has been appointed to the department for environment, food and rural affairs. He had been chief whip and then leader of the Commons under Boris Johnson
  7. All smiles for Truss and team during backbench meetingpublished at 16:21 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    Ione Wells
    Reporting from the Commons

    Liz Truss and her team appeared all smiles and confident ahead of her speech to backbench Tory MPs just now.

    Quite a contrast to some of the nerves she and other leadership candidates had when they were addressing MPs in this very room, vying for their votes at the start of the summer.

    She got the customary loud banging of fists on the tables as she entered the room.

  8. Truss addresses committee of backbench Tory MPspublished at 16:14 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    The next engagement in a busy day for new Prime Minister Liz Truss is an audience with the 1922 Committee.

    The influential committee is a group of backbench Conservative party MPs which meets weekly in Westminster.

    It was responsible for running the recent Tory leadership contest, in which Truss triumphed over Rishi Sunak.

  9. Chancellor meets with Bank of England governorpublished at 16:02 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey.Image source, HM Treasury

    The new chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng is working on a plan to try to deal with soaring energy prices, the detail of which will be set out tomorrow.

    Writing on Twitter, external, he says: "Good meeting with the Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey.

    "The Bank’s independence is sacrosanct as we work together to overcome cost of living challenges.

    "I’ve reinstated regular meetings with the Governor - initially bi-weekly - to coordinate our ongoing response."

  10. Pound plummets to lowest value against dollar in decadespublished at 15:54 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    Stock image of dollar bills and UK pound notesImage source, Reuters

    The UK's currency has hit its lowest value against the US dollar since 1985.

    At 15:00 BST, £1 was worth $1.1406.

    The fall in the value of the pound has been an ongoing trend, while the dollar has been strengthening recently.

    Truss has promised to unveil a package of measures tomorrow to address soaring inflation and spiralling energy bills.

    Read more here.

  11. No 10 announces more ministerial appointmentspublished at 15:39 British Summer Time 7 September 2022
    Breaking

    Robert Jenrick is among five more ministerial appointments just announced in Liz Truss's new government.

    Jenrick - who supported Rishi Sunak in the Tory leadership contest - will serve as health minister.

    Here are the others:

    • Fellow Sunak supporter Victoria Prentis becomes a minister in the department for work and pensions
    • Michael Tomlinson becomes solicitor general
    • Rachel Maclean is made a minister in the ministry of justice
    • Julia Lopez becomes a minister in the department for digital, culture, media and sport
  12. New Tory party chairman says he can't wait to get startedpublished at 15:34 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    Jake Berry, who has been appointed as Conservative Party Chairman, says he is honoured to have been given the role.

    Pictured in front of a portrait of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Berry tweeted he "can't wait to campaign across the country" and "focus on delivering a win" for the Conservatives at the next general election.

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  13. Graham Stuart made new climate ministerpublished at 15:29 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    Graham Stuart pictured outside No 10 Downing StreetImage source, PA Media

    Graham Stuart says he's been appointed as the PM's new climate minister.

    The MP for Beverley and Holderness says it's "vital that the UK continues to drive forward progress in combating climate change".

    During her leadership campaign, the new PM Liz Truss voiced her opposition to "putting solar panels on productive agricultural land" and vowed to suspend the green levy - the part of a household energy bill that pays for social and green projects.

  14. Sir Tim Barrow appointed as PM's new national security adviserpublished at 15:26 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    Sir Tim BarrowImage source, EPA

    Liz Truss has appointed Sir Tim Barrow as her new national security adviser.

    Sir Tim has previously served as the UK's ambassador to Ukraine, to Russia, and to the European Union - and moves from a position at the Foreign Office, where he worked to respond to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

    He takes over from Sir Stephen Lovegrove, who becomes the PM's defence industrial adviser.

  15. Junior ministerial reshuffle beginspublished at 15:22 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    Matt WarmanImage source, Getty Images

    As work begins on forming the next tier of Liz Truss's government, that inevitably means some people have lost their jobs.

    Matt Warman, the minister of state at the department for digital, culture, media and sport for exactly two months, has announced he's been removed from the post.

    The MP for Boston and Skegness, who supported Rishi Sunak in the leadership contest, tweets , externalhe's sad to hear from Chief Whip Wendy Morton that he won't be part of Truss's government.

    "I look forward to supporting our new prime minister from the backbenches," he adds.

  16. No decision yet over ethics advisor - Downing Streetpublished at 15:08 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    Sir Christopher Geidt - now Lord Geidt - photographed in 2015Image source, Gareth Fuller/PA

    If you cast your mind back to Boris Johnson's tenure, you'll remember that there used to be an ethics advisor.

    Lord Geidt, who had oversight of ministers' interests, quit in June and hadn't been replaced when Boris Johnson announced he was standing down as PM.

    Now Downing Street says Liz Truss has yet to decide whether she will appoint a new advisor.

    The prime minister's official spokesman says Truss is still considering whether to appoint a direct successor.

    "The prime minister wants to consider the best way to achieve the functions of that role, that level of oversight, and to ensure the government is held to the highest standards, as the public expect," the spokesman says.

  17. Would cutting corporation tax make more money?published at 14:55 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    Reality Check

    Liz Truss defended her plan to cancel the rise in corporation tax – due to go up from 19% to 25% next April.

    “The last time we cut corporation tax we attracted more revenue into the Exchequer,” she told MPs.

    Her idea is that reducing the tax on company profits increases economic growth and more revenue comes into the government, even though the tax rate is lower.

    But the economic think-tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has questioned this assumption.

    Tax revenues did indeed rise following a corporation tax rate cut in 2017. But the IFS says there were other factors involved, including the UK's continuing recovery from the financial crisis.

    You can read more about it here.

  18. What taxes has Truss pledged to cut?published at 14:42 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    Liz Truss campaigned during the Tory Party leadership contest on a promise to cut taxes by reversing the increase in National Insurance, scrapping the planned increase in corporation tax, and removing green levies from energy bills.

    But what are these taxes for and how are they paid?

    National Insurance

    • National Insurance contributions are a tax on earnings and are used to pay for the NHS, unemployment benefit, sickness and disability allowances, and the state pension
    • It is taken out of your salary depending on how much you earn, external, similar to income tax, and employers also pay it too. You can find the rates based on your salary here, external

    Corporation Tax

    • This is a charge on a company’s profits. It taxes profits an enterprise makes from doing business, investments, or selling assets for more than they cost
    • The current rate of 19% was due to rise to 25% from next April for companies with profits over £250,000 per year

    Green levies

    • The green levy is a charge of 8% on energy bills that goes towards funding green energy programmes, such as support for low-carbon electricity generation
  19. Higher borrowing needed to fund energy bills help, chancellor sayspublished at 14:29 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    New Chancellor Kwasi KwartengImage source, EPA

    The new chancellor says in the short term higher borrowing will be "necessary" to help people with their energy bills.

    After meeting senior bankers and other financial leaders this morning, Kwasi Kwarteng also said he would pursue "an unashamedly pro-growth agenda".

    In a statement, the Treasury said: "Due to the scale of the gas crisis, the government’s first priority will be to support families and businesses in the immediate term.

    "The chancellor was clear this will mean necessary higher borrowing in the short-term whilst ensuring monetary stability and fiscal discipline over the medium term."

  20. WATCH: May asks why all women PMs so far have been Conservativespublished at 14:20 British Summer Time 7 September 2022

    Media caption,

    WATCH: May and Truss celebrate third Conservative woman PM

    Earlier, Liz Truss faced her first Prime Minister's Questions as leader.

    Among the questions she received was from former Prime Minister Theresa May, who asked why the three female PMs had all been Conservatives, in a dig at Labour's record in failing to ever have a women leader.

    To big cheers, Truss asked why Labour could not find a female leader or anyone not from north London.