Jeremy Hunt has been named Chancellor following the sacking of Kwasi Kwarteng.
Mr Hunt's appointment was announced by Downing Street on Friday (October 14) just hours after it was confirmed that Liz Truss had sacked Mr Kwarteng. He had been in the role for only 38 days.
The former Chancellor paid the price after his September 23 fiscal announcement caused market chaos and a massive rebellion within Tory ranks. But Liz Truss told Mr Kwarteng that she was “sorry” to lose him as Chancellor, adding that: “You have put the national interest first.”
The choice of Mr Hunt, a prominent backer of her rival Rishi Sunak in the Tory leadership contest, will be seen as an attempt to restore stability after weeks of turmoil in the wake of Mr Kwarteng’s mini-budget. Mr Hunt began his career in politics when he was elected Conservative MP for South West Surrey in 2005.
Read more: Jeremy Hunt appointed chancellor after Kwasi Kwarteng sacked - LIVE updates
The 55-year-old, who was educated at Oxford University, was first appointed Secretary of State for Health in September 2012. He served as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care again for seven months in 2018.
He then became State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from July 2018 to July 2019. Previously, he was also Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport.
Earlier this year, Mr Hunt stood for the Tory leadership election in an effort to replace Boris Johnson. Positioning himself as a staunch remainer during the Brexit referendum, Mr Hunt had been a frequent outspoken critic of Mr Johnson.
However, he was eliminated from the race in the first ballot round on 13 July. Mr Hunt did not get the required 30 votes from Tory MPs, instead only managing to secure 18. Current Minister of Equalities Nadhim Zahawi was also eliminated from the first vote after receiving 25 votes.
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