Jeremy Hunt has been appointed as Liz Truss’s new chancellor, in a stunning reversal of political fortune and a sign that the beleaguered prime minister wants to reach out to other sections of the Conservative party.
Hunt, the former foreign secretary and health secretary, who has twice tried unsuccessfully to become Conservative leader, was named chancellor after Kwasi Kwarteng, in the job for just over five weeks, was sacked by Truss ahead of another U-turn over tax cuts.
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A wider mini-reshuffle also resulted in Chris Philp, Kwarteng’s No 2 as chief secretary to the Treasury, being sacked from his role and moved to the Cabinet Office to become paymaster general. In a direct job swap, Philp was replaced by Edward Argar.
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Hunt, who has been on the backbenches since Boris Johnson became prime minister in 2019, is seen as coming from the more one-nation wing of the party. His appointment indicates Truss wants to broaden her support – and is likely to slow down her rush to introduce tax cuts.
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