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Who is in the cabinet?

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Image caption,

Six of the new cabinet members, including Boris Johnson, Sajid Javid, Priti Patel, Dominic Raab, Gavin Williamson and Ben Wallace

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the people who've got some of the top jobs in the government as part of something called the cabinet.

You might hear these names being talked about over the coming weeks and months, as the new prime minister and his government tackle big political issues like Brexit.

Most people in the cabinet are in charge of a particular area of public life - for example, health, transport, the environment or how the country defends itself. The prime minister is a member of the cabinet too.

Mr Johnson has now appointed 31 members of this special group of politicians, who will help him to make important decisions.

More than half of Theresa May's cabinet have been replaced with new members.

Some people have noted that he has picked people who support Brexit in order to help him fulfil his promise that the UK will leave the European Union by 31 October.

So, who's got the top jobs?

Who's in the cabinet?

These are the names of the new top ministers in the UK government, which you might hear being talked about.

Dominic Raab has been given the job of foreign secretary, so he will representing the UK government's relations abroad. Mr Johnson actually used to have this job himself between 2016 and 2018.

Priti Patel will be the home secretary, meaning she's in charge of internal issues inside the UK's border, such as immigration and UK citizenship. This is the job which Theresa May had before she became prime minister in 2016.

Sajid Javid has been named as chancellor, making him the top government minister for financial issues like tax and how much money the government spends. It's the chancellor's job to deliver something called the Budget - the government's yearly announcement about how it's going to spend the nation's money.

Stephen Barclay will be Brexit secretary - a job which was previously held by the new foreign secretary Dominic Raab. He left the post, though, as he couldn't support what Theresa May wanted to do with Brexit. Mr Barclay will no doubt be very busy helping Mr Johnson to deliver on his plans for the UK's departure from the EU.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Savid Javid will be in charge of tax and controlling public spending

Michael Gove, who was one of the candidates in the running to be prime minister,will be the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and no-deal Brexit planning. Preparing for a no-deal Brexit is something which Mr Johnson has said the UK needs to do, even if it isn't the ideal outcome. "It is only common sense to prepare," said the new prime minister.

Ben Wallace will take up the job of defence secretary, so he's going to take responsibility for issues to do with the military and protecting the security of the UK.

Liz Truss has been given the job of international trade secretary, looking after how the UK does business with other countries, while Matt Hancock will be the health secretary, overseeing hospitals and healthcare.

Gavin Williamson has been named as education secretary, so he will be in charge of schools around the UK, while Nicky Morgan is the new culture secretary. This means she will be the minister responsible for the arts, and protecting and supporting the cultural heritage of the UK.

Boris Johnson's rival in the running to become the new prime minister - Jeremy Hunt - was offered a role but he turned it down.

The new cabinet are having their first meeting today.