No10 reshuffle: No London MPs in Rishi Sunak’s cabinet as new prime minister takes office

No cabinet ministers representing a London constituency have been appointed to prime minister Rishi Sunak’s new cabinet.

Sunak - Britain’s third prime minister this year - has made his mark on No10 and handed out top jobs to a host of Conservative senior figures.

His administration marks a sharp contrast to Boris Johnson’s cabinet, which boasted a prime minister from west London constituency Uxbridge and South Ruislip, and environment secretary Theresa Villiers, MP for Chipping Barnet, who are both now on the back benches.

But an expert has warned poor representation for the capital reflects “how hostile the city’s politics are for the Conservatives” and called for “strong voices for London” in Whitehall.

Sunak also demoted Croydon South MP Chris Philp, who under Liz Truss attended cabinet as paymaster general, to a home office minister.

He is still a member of the government but will not sit at the No10 top table.

Hampshire MP Kit Malthouse, an ex-Westminster councillor and London Assembly member, also lost the education secretary post he held under Ms Truss, returning to the backbenches.

Nick Bowes, chief executive of thinktank the Centre for London, said: “The lack of London MPs in the cabinet is a reflection of how hostile the city’s politics are for the Conservatives - and how few MPs they have within the M25.”

He continued: “At the moment, London just isn’t an electoral battleground.

“This inevitably means less attention is paid to the city by politicians. That’s why it’s actually more important than ever to have strong voices for London in Whitehall.”

Paul Scully, MP for Sutton and Cheam, has kept his job as minister for London and his post as a minister in the Department for Levelling Up.

Other London MPs with government jobs are Julia Lopez, a culture minister; treasury minister Felicity Buchan; treasury minister and whip David Evennett; justice minister Mike Freer; and Greg Hands, an international trade minister.

Sunak’s cabinet is widely seen as offering a vision of unity for the oft-divided party.

From Brexiteer Dominic Raab as deputy prime minister, and home secretary Suella Braverman, seen as a key force on the Tory right, to centrist One Nation MP Tom Tugendhat and ex-Cameron advisor Oliver Dowden, Sunak is attempting to bridge those divisions.

Johnson allies with cabinet jobs under Sunak include defence secretary Ben Wallace and foreign secretary James Cleverly, while so-called Trussites Therese Coffey and Kemi Badenoch have posts in the departments of the environment and international trade, and Sunak’s man Steve Barclay has been appointed health secretary.

But he has been criticised by some for a lack of diversity, despite becoming Britain’s first Asian prime minister.

Just 22% of those attending cabinet are female, with seven women in top jobs, compared to 32% at the start of Ms Truss’ government - the highest proportion for a first cabinet in history.

While just five of the 31 people able to attend Mr Sunak’s cabinet are non-white, including the prime minister, down from seven out of 31 in Ms Truss’ initial top team.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has welcomed Mark Harper, MP for the Forest of Dean, in Gloucestershire, to his post as transport secretary - a key role affecting the work of TfL.

His spokesperson said: “Sadiq congratulates the new transport secretary on his appointment, and is keen to work together to ensure the future of London’s world class transport network, which is fundamental to the success of London and the whole country.”

They added: “The prime minister and his cabinet have taken office at an incredibly challenging time, particularly following the increased economic challenges of the past few weeks and the country facing the worst cost of living crisis in a generation.

“The mayor looks forward to working collaboratively and constructively with them to tackle the pressing issues facing our great capital city to help improve the lives of the millions of people who live and work here.”

No10 has been contacted for comment.