Boris Johnson made UK's foreign secretary, cabinet includes other familiar faces

Speaking after visiting the Queen in Buckingham Palace, new British prime minister Theresa May promised to speak for the “ordinary working-class family” struggling to make ends meet. But while her language was centrist and conciliatory, May’s first cabinet appointments indicated an inclination to the right, with Boris Johnson appointed as foreign secretary and veteran right-wingers David Davis and Liam Fox back in government as secretary for Brexit and international trade respectively.

“The government I lead will be driven not by the interests of the privileged few but by yours. We will do everything we can to give you more control over your lives,” May said. “When we take the big calls, we’ll think not of the powerful, but you. When we pass new laws we’ll listen not to the mighty, but to you. When it comes to taxes we’ll prioritise not the wealthy but you.”

May’s first six cabinet appointments also demonstrated an attempt to reunite a Conservative party fractured by the EU referendum debate and tackle the tough task of negotiating Britain’s way out of the European Union.

Amber Rudd, the energy secretary, will succeed May as home secretary after she cemented her reputation as a strong political performer during the televised referendum debates, in which she made a series of unkind comments about Johnson.

Fox, the former defence secretary who resigned in 2011, will return to government in the newly created post of international trade minister, the Guardian reports. This is reportedly expected to be a crucial role when Britain must renegotiate its trading relationships with the rest of the world in the wake of the Brexit vote.

Davis, another leading Vote Leave campaigner, will be the new secretary of state for exiting the European Union. Michael Fallon will stay at defence.

Speaking after his appointment as the new foreign secretary, Johnson told BBC News that he is “obviously very, very humbled, very, very proud to be offered this chance. Clearly now we have a massive opportunity in this country to make a great success of our relationship with Europe and with the world and I’m very excited to be asked to play a part in that.”

However, the Guardian speculates that with Davis negotiating the details of Brexit, and Fox in charge of international trade, the former London mayor is likely to have a less sweeping role than previous foreign secretary.

Hammond is said to have great obstacles as chancellor due to economic growth being widely thought to be jeopardised by the uncertainty created in the wake of the Brexit vote.