THERESA May has wasted little time in appointing her Cabinet, with some of the most prominent Brexiteers given top jobs.

Considering the new Prime Minister was supposed to be still competing in the Tory Party leadership contest for another two months, she has moved fast, with her administration effectively up and running in less time than it takes Labour to hold an NEC meeting.

Angus Robertson, the SNP’s Westminster leader, called her new team “one of the most right-wing Cabinets in the modern era”.

Andrea Leadsom, whose withdrawal from the Tory leadership contest allowed May to move into Number 10, was appointed as the Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

It means the Leave campaigner is in charge of the department that will have to explain to farmers what’s happening to their subsidies, their market and their access to eastern European labour now that the UK is quitting the EU – though Leadsom’s appointment does also mean Defra is headed up by a supporter of fracking and fox-hunting.

There were other leading lights of the Leave campaign appointed to the Cabinet, including Chris Grayling – who was also May’s campaign manager – who takes on transport.

He joins Liam Fox and David Davis who were appointed on Wednesday afternoon. However, there was no space for Michael Gove, the man who stabbed his colleagues in the back in a bid for the leadership. Gove was replaced as Justice Secretary by Liz Truss, who became the first female Lord Chancellor in the thousand-year history of the role.

Stephen Crabb, the other leadership contender, resigned to spend more time with his family. Over the weekend it was revealed that the deeply Christian Minister had been sending explicit texts to a woman who was not his wife.

Damian Green will take on his job at the Department for Work and Pensions. Jeremy Hunt kept his job as Health Secretary, much to the surprise of many in Parliament.

James Brokenshire, who was May’s number two at the Home Office replaced Theresa Villiers as Northern Ireland Secretary. Justine Greening, who was International Development Secretary, is chief of a new department including schools, further and higher education, skills and apprenticeships.

Sajid Javid was moved sideways from the business department to become Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Other eye-catching appointments on the second day of the formation of May’s Government included former transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin as Conservative Party chairman and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

The SNP’s Robertson said: “From Boris Johnson as our Foreign Secretary – a man who will now be representing us on the world stage – to David Davis as Brexit Minister and Liam Fox for trade, it will be Brexiteers who are taking forward UK foreign policy.

“We also have Jeremy Hunt being re-appointed as Health Secretary, despite the ongoing disputes with junior doctors, and Priti Patel as Minister for International Development, despite previously calling for the department to be abolished.

“The news that the department for energy and climate change is being merged with business, innovation and skills, is particularly worrying given the current challenges facing the energy sector.”

Labour, engulfed by civil war woes, were yet to comment as we went to press.

The news from the Cabinet appointment that will impact on Scotland most is not so much that David Mundell will remain as Secretary of State for Scotland but that the government is set to abolish the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

Instead it will be taken by the Department of Business, led by Greg Clark and renamed the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, it takes on energy policy.

Though Deirdre Michie, chief executive of Oil & Gas UK, welcomed the move, she said the industry would need to meet the new minister “as soon as possible to discuss the challenges our industry is facing and the opportunities the North Sea offers both for business growth and ensuring a secure energy supply for the UK.

“We very much welcomed the joined up approach taken by the previous government and we hope ministers will continue to work together across the relevant departments to support our sector,” she said.

Callum McCaig, the SNP’s Energy spokesman at Westminster, called the move “beyond daft”. In a series of tweets, he said: “Getting rid of DECC is beyond daft. Energy sector loses not just ministers familiar with industry, but an entire department of experience.”

“Combine that with the loss of a cabinet post with explicit responsibility for Climate Change and you have a double whammy of damage.

“Climate Change is a huge risk, but also an economic opportunity. Forecast global expenditure on renewables $1tn per annum by 2020.”

Former Labour leader Ed Miliband tweeted: “DECC abolition just plain stupid. Climate not even mentioned in new department title. Matters because departments shape priorities, shape outcomes.”