Rishi Sunak will shortly begin appointing his cabinet after being officially asked by the King to form a new government.
The new prime minister has promised to form a government of “all the talents” amid calls from senior Tories to appoint the best ministers available – rather than focusing on those who are loyal to him, as his two predecessors had done.
Ahead of Mr Sunak announcing his key posts, a number of Liz Truss’s cabinet have already announced they are leaving government.
Here’s who has left so far:
Brandon Lewis, the now-former justice secretary, resigned, saying Mr Sunak has his “support from the backbenches”.
Jacob Rees-Mogg has also resigned as business secretary.
A close ally of both Boris Johnson and Ms Truss, he had earlier said he was not expecting to serve in Mr Sunak’s cabinet.
In his resignation letter, he wished Mr Sunak “every success” but added: “It is time to go.
“In the interests of the nation the Conservative Party must unite under your leadership and I shall do all I can to support you.”
Robert Buckland, who has left his post as welsh secretary, posted a resignation letter to his Twitter account.
He said it was “an honour to serve as secretary of state for Wales, and to have served four prime ministers as solicitor general, justice minister and lord chancellor.”
He added that he was supporting Rishi Sunak from the backbenches and leaving at his own request. Mr Buckland initially supported Mr Sunak in the summer, but swapped to back Liz Truss.
Jake Berry said it was an “honour” to serve as Conservative party chairman but “all good things must come to an end”.
The Truss-backing MP for Rossendale and Darwen said he will “relish” his chance to serve his constituents again.
Kit Malthouse, the fourth education secretary this year, tweeted: “As I leave the DfE, I do so with profound gratitude to officials, my private office team, and brilliant advisers, who all worked so hard. I hope my successor can harness their commitment to the most important mission in Whitehall: the future and welfare of our children.”
Chole Smith is also out as secretary of state for work and pensions. She was a big ally of Ms Truss, and had been reviewing whether to uprate benefits in line with inflation.
Ranil Jayawardena is out as environment secretary.
He wrote to Rishi Sunak: “I know that you wish for a new team to join you in HM Government, so I write to stand aside.”
He added that he is “sure that HM Government will continue to deliver, and you will have my support in doing so”.
Levelling Up Secretary Simon Clarke has also left his role.
He said it was a “great privilege” to serve in the department, as well as in his previous role as chief secretary to the Treasury.
Mr Clarke was one of Liz Truss’s most vocal supporters during the summer.
Chief Whip Wendy Morton has also left the government, writing on Twitter that she is “heading to the backbenches”.
Her exit is perhaps unsurprising, as Ms Morton presided over a chaotic parliamentary party under Ms Truss’s premiership.
There was confusion over whether she resigned or not on Wednesday last week, after a vote on fracking descended into chaos with claims of MPs being “bullied” – but Downing Street eventually confirmed she was still in post.
Foreign minister Vicky Ford has also left the government. She told Sky News political correspondent Joe Pike that “space was needed to bring in new talent”.
She added: “I think that Rishi will make a very good government from all different parts of the party.
“Some of us need to move on in order to make sure he’s got room to bring in some really good talent from all across the party.”
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