Grant Shapps has assumed the role of the new Defence Secretary in the government, taking over from Ben Wallace, who tendered his resignation earlier today.
Shapps, who previously served as the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, has been succeeded by Claire Coutinho, who transitions from a junior ministerial position in the Department for Education.
This is a significant promotion for the East Surrey MP, who was elected to Parliament in December 2019. In her prior role as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State with responsibilities for childcare, she held a position just below the Cabinet, but not quite at the Cabinet level.
Rishi Sunak's decision to elevate her to the Cabinet, making her the youngest member, immediately establishes her as a prominent figure in Conservative politics, both in the present and for the future. She also becomes the first member of the 2019 intake of Tory MPs to reach the Cabinet, marking a notable achievement in her political career.
Before her election as the Member of Parliament for East Surrey, at the age of 38, she served as an adviser to Mr Sunak when he was the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. When he assumed the role of Chancellor in 2020, their partnership effectively continued, with Coutinho serving as his parliamentary aide.
She played a significant role behind the scenes in Mr Sunak's leadership campaigns the previous summer and gained recognition for her performance as a minister, particularly as childcare issues gained prominence in the political agenda.
Like the Prime Minister, Coutinho is the child of immigrants. Her parents immigrated from India to the UK in the 1970s, where they worked as doctors, while she was born in London in 1985.
Her previous position has also been filled with David Johnston now taking on the role of Minister for Children, Families, and Wellbeing.
The Prime Minister announced these changes on Thursday morning in response to Wallace's resignation, which had been anticipated throughout the summer and followed his decision not to seek re-election as an MP in the next general election.
Amber de Botton, Rishi Sunak's director of communications, has also departed Downing Street after serving in the role for just 10 months, expressing that it had been an "honour and privilege" to work for Sunak but that she had decided it was the appropriate time to move on.
Nerissa Chesterfield, Sunak's press secretary and long-serving aide, will assume the role of de Botton. She becomes the sixth Director of Communications at Number 10 in just 18 months.