The strange statistics behind Rishi Sunak's first Cabinet

With the UK changing prime ministers at a rate more associated with changing nappies, it is of little surprise that the resulting chaos has manifested itself in some rather strange ministerial statistics.

Here The National lists some of these statistical quirks and also looks at whether Rishi Sunak's first Cabinet is more or less diverse than its Liz Truss antecedent.

Shapps breaks record and Braverman returns

New Business Secretary Grant Shapps goes into the history books as the shortest-serving home secretary in modern political history.

Mr Shapps was given the job by former prime minister Liz Truss on October 19 and lasted just six days until being replaced by Suella Braverman on October 25.

It represents a very swift return to the role for Ms Braverman, who held the post directly before Mr Shapps but only for 43 days before resigning over a breach of the ministerial code.

She is currently the second shortest-serving home secretary since 1900.

If she manages to stay in the job for another 19 days, she will become the third shortest-serving person to hold the role.

The Coffey paradox

New Environment Secretary Therese Coffey has become the shortest-serving female deputy prime minister with her tenure lasting 49 days. However, given she was the first woman to be appointed to the position, paradoxically she is also the longest-serving female deputy prime minister.

Justice for Raab — again

Ms Coffey's replacement is Dominic Raab who returns to the post he held from September 2021 to September 2022 after his sacking as foreign secretary.

Only three other people have ever been officially appointed to the role: Conservative politician Michael Heseltine (1995 to 1997), Labour's John Prescott (1997 to 2007) and the Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg (2010 to 2015).

Nick Clegg served as deputy prime minister in the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government between 2010 and 2015. AFP

Five education secretaries in a year

Gillian Keegan has been appointed education secretary, astonishingly the fifth person to hold the post in under a year.

Since 2010, the post has been held by Michael Gove (2010-14), Nicky Morgan (2014-16), Justine Greening (2016-18), Damian Hinds (2018-19), Gavin Williamson (2019-21), Nadhim Zahawi (2021-22), Michelle Donelan (for two days in July 2022), James Cleverly (from July to September 2022), Kit Malthouse (from September to October 2022) and now Ms Keegan.

Another department with an extraordinary turnover since 2010 is the department for work and pensions, with Mel Stride becoming the ninth to hold the position during this period.

He follows Iain Duncan Smith (2010-16), Stephen Crabb (2016), Damian Green (2016-17), David Gauke (2017-18), Esther McVey (2018), Amber Rudd (2018-19), Therese Coffey (2019-2022) and Chloe Smith (2022).

And while not quite at these levels, the department for transport also saw its seventh transport secretary since 2010 in the shape of Mark Harper.

Gillian Keegan leaves 10 Downing Street after being appointed UK education secretary, its fifth in 12 months. Bloomberg

Gove gets levelled up

Michael Gove is another surprise comeback, returning to the Cabinet 111 days after he was sacked by former prime minister Boris Johnson.

Mr Gove has now held six different Cabinet posts since 2010: education secretary (2010-14), chief whip (2014-15), justice secretary (2015-16), environment secretary (2017-19), chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (2019-21) and levelling up secretary (September 2021 to July 2022, to which he has now been reappointed)

Diversity reduction

Mr Sunak's status as the first UK prime minister of Asian descent has been fashioned a triumph for British diversity and garnered plaudits from across the political spectrum — as well as from Britain's Hindu community, as shown in this video by The National.

Yet his first Cabinet has actually become less diverse, both in terms of gender and ethnicity.

Just under a quarter (22 per cent) of all people able to attend Cabinet meetings are women.

This is down from nearly a third (32 per cent) at the start of Ms Truss's premiership, which was the highest proportion ever for a prime minister's first Cabinet.

It is also lower than the equivalent figure for Mr Johnson (24 per cent) and Theresa May (30 per cent).

Five of the 31 people able to attend Mr Sunak's Cabinet are non-white, including the prime minister.

This is down from seven out of 31 in Ms Truss's first Cabinet.

The average age of Cabinet ministers is 52, up from 49 under Ms Truss.

At 42, Mr Sunak is one of the youngest members of his own Cabinet, with only two other ministers his age (Ms Braverman and Kemi Badenoch) and just one who is younger (Michelle Donelan, 38).

Some 15 of the 21 full-time Cabinet ministers are aged 50 or over.

To see pictures of every one of Mr Sunak's full-time cabinet ministers, scroll the gallery below.

Rishi Sunak's new Cabinet — in pictures

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

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

THE BIO

Bio Box

Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul

Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader

Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Favorite food: seafood

Favorite place to travel: Lebanon

Favorite movie: Braveheart

Gifts exchanged

King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag