JEREMY Hunt has been announced as the UK’s new Chancellor in the wake of Liz Truss sacking Kwasi Kwarteng.
Hunt had been serving as the Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, a role he had held since 2020, before filling in for the departing Kwarteng.
In a speech at Downing Street, Truss said: "[Hunt] is one of the most experienced and widely respected government ministers and parliamentarians. He shares my convictions and ambitions for our country.
"He will deliver the medium-term fiscal plan at the end of this month. He will see through the support we are providing to help families and businesses, including our energy price guarantee that's protecting people from higher energy bills this winter.
"And he will drive our mission to go for growth including taking forward the supply-side reforms that our country needs."
Hunt previously served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport from 2010 to 2012, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care from 2012 to 2018, and Foreign Secretary from 2018 to 2019.
He was the UK’s longest-serving health secretary in history, during which time he oversaw a highly controversial junior doctor’s contract in England.
He has held the Westminster constituency seat for South West Surrey since 2005.
And back in 2019 he made a Tory leadership bid, finishing second to Boris Johnson after getting 33.6% of the member's vote.
Hunt, who has previously been described as a “moderate” within the Tory party, was a remainer during the Brexit referendum but later insisted on the delivery of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
When running for the Tory leadership over the summer, Hunt looked to prove his credentials to Conservative members by saying he wanted to cut “all taxes” if he won the race and pledged to cut corporation tax to 15%.
During that time he also committed to continuing the controversial Rwanda asylum seeker scheme which was conceived under Boris Johnson.
What has he said about Scotland?
Hunt has been clear on his opposition to Scotland holding another independence referendum for at least the next decade.
When asked if there were any circumstances in which he would permit another vote on independence, he said: "Not in the next 10 years."
And in 2019 he claimed he was Nicola Sturgeon’s “least wants” because of his commitment to Scotland’s place in the Union.
During a visit to Peterhead three years ago, he stated his commitment to the Union while speaking with leaders of the fishing industry, saying he believed in it “with every fibre of my being”.
