Liz Truss replaces Dominic Raab as secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs

Conservative MP for South West Norfolk, Liz Truss, has been appointed as secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs.

She replaces Dominic Raab, who has moved to the Ministry of Justice to become justice secretary, as well as becoming deputy prime minister and lord chancellor.

Liz Truss will be the sixth minister to take control of the development portfolio in a little over two years, following four different secretary of states for international development in nine months before DFID was folded into the FCO.

Truss moves on from her role as secretary of state for international trade and president of the Board of Trade, a position she has held since July 2019. She will remain in position as minister for women and equalities, which she took over in September 2019.

Truss was elected as an MP in 2010, replacing Christopher Fraser, and has comfortably held the seat since. She has held the positions of chief secretary to the treasury between 2017 and 2019, secretary of state for justice from 2016 to 2017, secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs from 2014 to 2016 and under-secretary of state for childcare and education, which she held between 2012 and 2014.

Though her cabinet experience has covered many different departments, Truss’s time working as secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs is encouraging from a development perspective.

Bond CEO, Stephanie Draper, had this to say in response to Truss’s appointment:

“We look forward to working with the new secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs, Liz Truss. This year has hit home the need for global cooperation to deal with climate change, the rise in extreme poverty, and ongoing humanitarian crises. But this, undoubtedly, has been made harder by the cuts to UK aid.

“It is critical that the new foreign secretary uses the upcoming international development strategy to ensure UK aid remains poverty-focused, and that the whole portfolio of the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, delivers long-term, sustainable development for the most marginalised communities, whilst protecting human rights and civil society space globally.

“The secretary of state has an important role to play in delivering a high ambition COP26, and in ensuring ODA becomes fully aligned with the Paris Agreement. The UK should walk the talk by providing both new and additional climate finance for poor and vulnerable countries, and finance to address loss and damage and use our diplomatic reach to close the gap to 1.5C.”