UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sought to build a Cabinet of 'all the talents' in attempt restore credibility in government.
The former chancellor said the Conservative Party, which has been heavily divided over Brexit and the economy in recent years, must “unite or die” in a speech to his MPs on Monday.
Unlike previous prime ministers who filled their Cabinets with key allies, Mr Sunak retained much of the Cabinet he inherited from Liz Truss and returned some Boris Johnson appointees to their posts.
Perhaps his most eye-catching move was to restore Suella Braverman to the role of home secretary, less than a week after she was sacked from the job for a security breach.
Chancellor of the exchequer
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who was brought in to steady Ms Truss’s ailing government and has been working towards a highly-anticipated Halloween fiscal statement, was selected to keep the keys to No 11 to try to stabilise the jittery markets.
In a post on Twitter, he said: “Honoured to serve our country, and @RishiSunak, as Chancellor of the Exchequer. It is going to be tough.
“But protecting the vulnerable — and people’s jobs, mortgages and bills — will be at the front of our minds as we work to restore stability, confidence and long-term growth.”
Foreign secretary
James Cleverly was kept on as Foreign Secretary signalling Mr Sunak was not entirely breaking with the past two administrations.
On his reappointment, Mr Cleverly said he would continue to support the UK’s allies around the world “especially standing with Ukraine”.
Defence secretary
Ben Wallace has been asked to keep his defence brief, given the continuing conflict in Ukraine demands continuity and stability.
Reports suggest Boris Johnson could be given a role as an envoy in Washington to shore up support for Ukraine.
Deputy prime minister
Long-time backer Dominic Raab has been chosen to be the Justice Secretary and the Deputy Prime Minister, a position that he held less than two months ago before being sacked by Ms Truss.
Home secretary
Suella Braverman has been appointed Home Secretary less than a week after she was dropped from Liz Truss’s government over a breach of the ministerial code.
Ms Braverman was asked to resign for mishandling an official document and left with a parting shot that the government was failing its manifesto pledges on immigration.
Her return only six days later was condemned by opposition MPs, who said it breached Mr Sunak's promise at the door of Downing Street to restore trust and integrity.
"The shine came off Sunak pretty quickly," said Labour MP Steve Reed.
Chief whip
Simon Hart was brought in as Chief Whip to restore party discipline.
He takes over from Wendy Morton following the confusion over a fracking vote in the Commons last Wednesday.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Oliver Dowden, who resigned as party chairman after a disastrous double by-election loss under Mr Johnson, was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in the Cabinet Office.
Conservative Party chairman
Nadhim Zahawi initially announced he would be backing Mr Johnson to return as PM, before switching allegiance to Mr Sunak on the same day after the former leader said he would not be entering the contest.
The former chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said in a Twitter post: “A day is a long time in politics …”
Business secretary
Grant Shapps has been appointed Business Secretary. He had briefly been Home Secretary under Liz Truss.
Leader of the House of Commons
Penny Mordaunt, Mr Sunak's competitor for the top job, remains in the post.
Education Secretary
Gillian Keegan has been appointed Education Secretary.
Works and Pensions Secretary
Mel Stride, an ally of Mr Sunak in the leadership contest, has been appointed Works and Pensions Secretary.
Health Secretary
Steve Barclay has been appointed Health Secretary.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Therese Coffey has been appointed as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Levelling Up Secretary
Michael Gove returns to the Cabinet after being sacked by Boris Johnson in July.
International Trade Secretary
Kemi Badenoch returns as International Trade Secretary. She entered the first leadership contest to replace Mr Johnson but did not throw her name in this time around.
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary
Michelle Donelan has been reappointed as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
Northern Ireland Secretary
Chris Heaton-Harris has been re-appointed as Northern Ireland Secretary.
Scotland Secretary
Alister Jack has been re-appointed as Secretary of State for Scotland.
Wales Secretary
David TC Davies is the new Secretary of State for Wales.
Leader of the House of Lords
Lord True has been re-appointed Lord Privy Seal, and Leader of the House of Lords.
Transport Secretary
Mark Harper has been appointed Transport Secretary.
Veterans’ Affairs Minister
Johnny Mercer will return to the role of Veterans’ Affairs Minister.
Minister for Development in the Foreign Office
Andrew Mitchell has been appointed as Minister for Development in the Foreign Office.
Immigration Minister
Robert Jenrick has been appointed Immigration Minister and will attend Cabinet.
Security Minister
Tom Tugendhat has been re-appointed as Security Minister and will attend Cabinet.
Attorney General
Victoria Prentis has been appointed as Attorney General.
Minister without portfolio
Sir Gavin Williamson returns to government as a minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office.
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes.
The car
Hertz offers compact car rental from about $300 (Dh1,100) per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
The national park
Entry to Mount Rainier National Park costs $30 for one vehicle and passengers for up to seven days. Accommodation can be booked through mtrainierguestservices.com. Prices vary according to season. Rooms at the Holiday Inn Yakima cost from $125 per night, excluding breakfast.
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
Avatar%20(2009)
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CHELSEA SQUAD
Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli, Rudiger, Christensen, Silva, Chalobah, Sarr, Azpilicueta, James, Kenedy, Alonso, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, Saul, Barkley, Ziyech, Pulisic, Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Werner, Havertz, Lukaku.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile
Company name: Jaib
Started: January 2018
Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour
Based: Jordan
Sector: FinTech
Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018
Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now