New PM Rishi Sunak has reintroduced the Conservatives' moratorium on fracking in England, Downing Street has confirmed
It reverses his predecessor Liz Truss's decision to lift the ban in areas where there was local consent
The controversial technique for recovering gas and oil from shale rock was halted in 2019 after concerns about earth tremors
It follows Sunak's first Prime Minister's Questions as PM, where he was grilled by Labour Leader Keir Starmer and other MPs
Starmer accused him of making a "grubby deal" to reappoint Suella Braverman as home secretary just six days after she resigned over data breaches
Sunak responded that Braverman "made an error of judgment", has apologised, and he's delighted to have her back in cabinet
Earlier the government said it would delay announcing its plan to repair the UK's finances from Monday 31 October to 17 November
Image source, ReutersMinisters have begun leaving Rishi Sunak's first cabinet meeting as prime minister.
Cabinet members walked out of 10 Downing Street a short while ago, and past reporters and photographers.
Minister Without Portfolio Nadhim Zahawi told journalists the party was "very, very united" as he departed.
Image source, Reuters
Image source, PA MediaThe first images have arrived, showing Rishi Sunak, the new prime minister, with members of his top team.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is seen sitting to the PM's left.
Image source, PA MediaCamilla Cavendish, former head of policy for ex-PM David Cameron, says she thinks the appointment of Rishi Sunak will mean a level of normality returning to UK politics.
"I think the appointment of Sunak means we can go back to our normal lives," the FT columnist told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4.
She commended Sunak's "very grown up" inaugural speech and his "experienced" cabinet, referencing the hiring of Michael Gove, Dominic Raab and Steve Barclay.
Asked what she thought about just six women making up the cabinet of 30, Cavendish says it doesn't matter.
"It doesn't concern me at all that six people are women - we need to be hiring people on merit. We are in a national crisis," she says.
"I couldn't give a damn how many women are in the cabinet. I might be upset if there wasn’t any - but I’m not quite sure that’s the issue of the day."
Image source, .As we've been reporting, Rishi Sunak is this morning chairing his first meeting of the cabinet as UK's new prime minister.
If you're a newcomer to politics, you might be wondering what's meant by the term cabinet.
Basically, it refers to the prime minister's top team - comprising around 20 people.
Each member holds a different responsibility - for example, handling health, policing or tax.
Secretaries of state are the most senior.
The top jobs are home secretary, foreign secretary and chancellor. Those are currently held by Suella Braverman, James Cleverly and Jeremy Hunt respectively. You can find out here who else is in the prime minister's top team.
And then there are junior ministers too.
A cabinet can be "reshuffled" - something done by Sunak yesterday, although as it happens, a number of cabinet post-holders also had their jobs under the previous PM, Liz Truss.
Image source, ReutersDeputy PM and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab and Transport Secretary Mark Harper have also arrived at Downing Street for this morning's cabinet meeting which is due to get underway shortly.
Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan, pictured below, was also seen arriving at No 10.
Image source, Reuters
Nick Eardley
Chief political correspondent
I’m outside No 10, where cabinet ministers are arriving for this morning's meeting.
Suella Braverman was tight-lipped when asked if she was a symbol of the professionalism and integrity promised by the new PM.
She was told to resign last week for breaking the ministerial code - but is back in the same job days later.
You can expect further criticism from opposition parties.
Image source, PA MediaHome Secretary Suella Braverman has arrived at 10 Downing Street ahead of Rishi Sunak's first cabinet meeting as prime minister - which is due to be held at 09:30 BST.
Braverman did not respond to reporters' questions as she went into the building.
Her arrival followed that of Gillian Keegan, pictured below - the newly-appointed education secretary.
Image source, Reuters
Chris Mason
Political editor
So, here we go then. The first full day of the Sunak administration.
And the first flashpoint: the appointment of Suella Braverman as home secretary, less than a week after she was forced out as...home secretary.
The Foreign Secretary James Cleverly didn't seem overly comfortable defending the idea on BBC Radio 4's Today programme just now.
We can expect Labour to try to get stuck into it today.
They will probe the specifics - what Braverman did that led to her removal.
And the bigger, general point: how the prime minister squares a commitment to "integrity" with this decision.
Incidentally, those inside No 10 defend it on the grounds of policy priority and Braverman's ability - saying they wanted "her talent back in government" so she could focus on crime and "control our borders".
This morning Rishi Sunak will chair his first cabinet meeting and then head to the Commons for his first Prime Minister's Question Time.
Senior ministers Michael Gove and Oliver Dowden were seen beetling into No 10 first thing to help prep him for it.
Expect Labour to focus on the economy, and attempt to portray Sunak as being out of touch with ordinary folk.
The Liberal Democrats have called for a Cabinet Office probe into Suella Braverman's re-appointment as Home Secretary after being forced to resign for breaching the ministerial code last week.
Lib Dem home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: "Suella Braverman's appointment makes a mockery of Rishi Sunak's claims to be bringing integrity to Number 10.
"There must be a full independent inquiry by the Cabinet Office into her appointment, including any promises Sunak made to her behind closed doors."
Carmichael said that Braverman should be sacked if it is confirmed she "repeatedly broke the ministerial code and threatened national security", adding: "A Home Secretary who broke the rules is not fit for a Home Office which keeps the rules."
Nick Eardley
Chief political correspondent
Image source, ReutersThe chancellor has just arrived in Downing Street.
The immediate question he has to discuss with Rishi Sunak today is whether to delay next week’s plan for the economy.
There have been hints this morning it could be.
But the biggest question is how far they will go with spending cuts and tax rises.
Ione Wells
Political correspondent
Rishi Sunak appointed his team of top ministers yesterday, on his first day as the UK's prime minister.
In a key speech outside No 10, he said he wanted to bring the country and party together, promising economic stability and confidence.
The cabinet reshuffle saw some predictable choices, and some that have surprised MPs.
One of the most eye-catching appointments was the return of Suella Braverman as home secretary.
She resigned just days ago from the role after a security breach, when she sent a government document to someone not authorised to receive it.
She endorsed Sunak to be the new leader two days ago, a move seen as a massive boost for his campaign as it represented support from the right-wing of the party.
Some sources in government speculate that endorsement may well have been an ask for something in return. There was a hint of that in her article for the Daily Telegraph backing Sunak , external- where she said we will "only stop boats crossing the Channel" if the UK passes new laws to limit the impact of Modern Slavery laws, the Human Rights Act and the European Convention on Human Rights.
Such a move would be controversial, and face legal and political challenges - especially in the House of Lords. But is her appointment a signal Sunak has agreed it is the way forward? It looks likely.
Read more here.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has offered a further defence of Suella Braverman's reappointment as home secretary, pointing out that she has "very recent experience in the Home Office".
Braverman resigned from the role of home secretary just last week, while Liz Truss was prime minister, over two data breaches.
In her resignation letter, she said she had emailed cabinet papers from a private account.
Cleverly is asked on BBC Radio 4's Today programme whether Braverman has displayed the integrity, professionalism and accountability promised by Rishi Sunak in his new government.
"Yes," Cleverly says. "By saying she made a mistake, apologising for that mistake and standing down."
Asked if he can think of anyone else in public life who could expect to get their job back just days after stepping down over an error, Cleverly says: "People make mistakes.... No one goes to work with the intention of making a mistake."
Watch: Cleverly defends Braverman's reappointment
Nick Eardley
Chief political correspondent
Image source, PA MediaThere have been arrivals in Downing Street this morning already. Michael Gove has been seen going in the front door of No 10.
He’s going to be helping the new PM with preparing for his first PMQs later today.
More now from Foreign Secretary James Cleverly who's been addressing the economic challenges faced by the new PM.
Cleverly tells BBC Breakfast that "we are now facing unprecedented economic challenges as a result of the pandemic and Russia's brutal invasion in Ukraine" and that "we can't wish these things away."
However, he says that Rishi Sunak was chancellor when we had the furlough scheme, adding "we want to help people who are worried about rising prices of food, fuel."
Asked if the fiscal statement planned for 31 October will be delayed, Cleverly says "the date was set with no expectation of a change of prime minister."
He goes on to say that Sunak was appointed less than 24 hours ago - as such "he'll want time with his chancellor to see that fiscal statement matches his priorities."
Cleverly says he's "not sure" if this means the date of the fiscal statement is going to slip. "The chancellor and the PM will work quickly - but they want to get it right."
He adds that if this means there will be a short delay, "that is not necessarily a bad thing at all".
Image source, PA MediaSuella Braverman's reappointment as home secretary has been the subject of some controversy
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly - who's kept his job under new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak - has defended the PM's decision to reappoint Suella Braverman to the role of home secretary.
Braverman was forced to resign from the job - in the dying days of Liz Truss's premiership - just last week over two data breaches.
"She said she made a mistake and apologised for that," Cleverly tells BBC Breakfast.
He adds that Braverman has promised a crackdown on crime and to secure borders while in the Home Office.
Asked whether Braverman is back in post as the result of a deal that helped Sunak gain power, Cleverly says Sunak was "way, way, way ahead" during the latest Conservative leadership contest, adding: "I doubt that he needed any particular individuals' endorsement."
More reaction now to the news that Suella Braverman is returning to the Home Office just a week after resigning over data breaches.
Labour's shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson says Braverman is back in her job as the result of a "grubby deal" which helped Rishi Sunak "get over the line and become prime minister".
Speaking to the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, Phillipson argues that this calls into question Sunak's pledge to run a government of integrity.
She adds that the discussion "should be about the future of our country, not the future of the Conservative Party".
However, Phillipson gives a cautious welcome to the installation of Gillian Keegan as education secretary. Keegan left school at 16 and served an apprenticeship.
Phillipson says that news is "wonderful" - but goes on to highlight a "massive drop-off in apprenticeship starts" and a "failure to prioritise skills" by Conservative-run governments.
Image source, EPAThe return of Suella Braverman to the role of home secretary was "the one contentious name" in Rishi Sunak's cabinet reshuffle, says a former key aide to ex-prime minister Theresa May.
Braverman was forced to step down on what became the final chaotic day of Liz Truss' premiership, after admitting two data breaches.
But Gavin Barwell, Downing Street's former chief of staff, says he can "entirely understand" why Sunak felt it important to include Braverman, as she represents a Eurosceptic wing of the party.
Her appointment was "the most difficult" choice for Sunak, Barwell tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
Overall, Barwell says Sunak managed a "good reshuffle" yesterday - and "avoided the mistake" of filling his top team with "purely friends and allies".
Nick Eardley
Chief political correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesIt's thought Sunak, a former chancellor, could delay a financial statement expected on Monday
The biggest challenge for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be the economy. It’s an issue which will define his time in power, certainly over the next few months.
The chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, is due to deliver his medium term plan for the economy on Monday. He’s been trying to plug a fiscal black hole of up to £40bn. Spending cuts, budget squeezes and tax rises are all on the table.
But might it be delayed? Sources in No 10 and the Treasury say it’s a decision the PM and chancellor still have to make. They're due to discuss it today.
You can see why the new PM might want time to look at the details. The choices the government makes will be controversial and will cause political rows.
But there is a lot of pressure to make a decision soon. The Bank of England is to make its next interest decision next Thursday - many Tory MPs want more clarity before then.
Image source, UK ParliamentLiz Truss's final appearance at the weekly event came last Wednesday
It'll be a busy first full day in office for Rishi Sunak, who faces his first Prime Minister's Questions - also known as PMQs - later on.
PMQs is a high-profile weekly event in UK politics, happening every Wednesday at noon when the House of Commons is sitting.
For around half an hour, the prime minister is called to the despatch box in the Commons chamber to answer questions from MPs on any subject.
The leader of the opposition gets to ask six questions - normally the rowdiest part of the spectacle.
Backbench MPs - including those from the governing party - are also able to raise their own queries, and there is great competition each week to get the chance to be called.
The event is infamously nerve-wracking for prime ministers - former PM David Cameron spoke of his "total fear and trepidation" while trying to second-guess what he'd be asked about each week.
Opinions have been divided in recent years on PMQs - some saying it encourages healthy debate; others arguing it represents little more than a political slanging match filled with sloganeering.
Downing Street has confirmed Rishi Sunak will hold his first cabinet meeting at 9.30am.
It comes a day after the new prime minister sacked or replaced nearly a dozen of Liz Truss's top-tier ministers, including Jacob Rees-Mogg, Brandon Lewis and Kit Malthouse.
Meanwhile he revived the careers of a host of big names, including Suella Braverman, Dominic Raab and Michael Gove.
Later Sunak will face Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer for the first time across the despatch box for Prime Minister's Questions at midday.
Stay with us as we bring you updates of the new PM's first full day in the job.