SNP Westminster Leader Angus Robertson last night branded Theresa May’s Cabinet “one of the most right-wing in the modern era”.
The Moray MP said he was pleased the new prime minister had wasted no time in announcing her key players.
But he added: “There is serious cause for concern with a range of appointments.
“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 reappointed 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.”
He also raised fears at the merging of the Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc) with Business, Innovation and Skills.
Mr Robertson said it was “particularly worrying given the current challenges facing the energy sector”.
He added: “The new prime minister may have used her maiden speech outside Downing Street to speak of social justice but the mask has already slipped – and the reality is we are witnessing a sharp turn to the right in UK politics.
“We are witnessing the creation of one of the most right-wing Cabinets in the modern era.”
Former shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray described Mrs May’s Cabinet as “even more right wing than the one that we’ve just left behind”.
The Labour MP added: “People across Scotland will not be fooled by new management at the top of the Tory government.
“Their economic credibility lies in tatters after taking a gamble with Brexit and they have put the Union at risk, not just as a result of this referendum, but because of their reckless approach to the constitution since the Scottish referendum.”
