conservativehome--2020-02-14--“There are kids who can read and write today because of Nick Gibb”

That ’ s what a Special Adviser says – and his are words to ponder on this second day of the reshuffle .
Nick Gibb has been reappointed to his job as an Education Minister , serving under Gavin Williamson .
By our count , that makes the latter the fifth Education Secretary that Gibb has served under .
We make it : Michael Gove , Nicky Morgan , Justine Greening , Damian Hinds , and now Williamson .
Gibb ’ s still there because he is legendarily committed to his work , and in particular to the teaching of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and look elsewhere too .
Meanwhile , Secretaries of State have come and gone , and education fashion with them .
( Consider the twists and turns of policy over the years on grammar schools . )
All the while , Gibb has stuck to his cause ; driven through change ; refused to be distracted or daunted .
So it is that he has been at the Education Department , with one break , since 2010 .
Politicians get a kicking , sometimes deservedly , but if you want an example @ @ @ @ @ @ @ further than Gibb .
We ’ ve nothing against Robbie Gibb , his brother , having received a knighthood .
But the disparity should make one think hard about the vagaries of the honours system .
If R.Gibb can become a knight , shouldn ’ t N.Gibb , in due course , become a peer ?
Let ’ s hear it again : “ there are kids who can read and write today because of Nick Gibb ”

That’s what a Special Adviser says – and his are words to ponder on this second day of the reshuffle.
Nick Gibb has been reappointed to his job as an Education Minister, serving under Gavin Williamson. By our count, that makes the latter the fifth Education Secretary that Gibb has served under. We make it: Michael Gove, Nicky Morgan, Justine Greening, Damian Hinds, and now Williamson.
Gibb’s still there because he is legendarily committed to his work, and in particular to the teaching of synthetic phonics – see here for example, and look elsewhere too. Meanwhile, Secretaries of State have come and gone, and education fashion with them. (Consider the twists and turns of policy over the years on grammar schools.)
All the while, Gibb has stuck to his cause; driven through change; refused to be distracted or daunted. So it is that he has been at the Education Department, with one break, since 2010. Politicians get a kicking, sometimes deservedly, but if you want an example of committed public service, look no further than Gibb.
We’ve nothing against Robbie Gibb, his brother, having received a knighthood. But the disparity should make one think hard about the vagaries of the honours system. If R.Gibb can become a knight, shouldn’t N.Gibb, in due course, become a peer?
Let’s hear it again: “there are kids who can read and write today because of Nick Gibb”


conservativehome--2020-02-14--Reshuffle 1) The lesson of this PJ Masks shakeup.  For Johnson and Cummings, it is truly Do or Die.

Sajid Javid was right to resign .
Some will say that his was a noble , principled , act of self-sacrifice – and that if other Ministers showed even a drop of the same integrity and loyalty , Westminster would be a better place .
Others will counter that he had no choice – that , having lost one SpAd , Sonia Khan , to Dominic Cummings , he could scarcely afford to lose all the rest .
And then walk through politics with a sandwich board round his neck proclaiming “ Chancellor In Name Only ” – like the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one declaring that the End is Nigh .
These takes are not mutually exclusive , and both are correct .
We will return later to Javid ’ s future , pausing only to add that his departure is a loss to the Government , and that we very much hope he will return .
So it seems does the Prime Minister .
For one point is clear to us from this defining incident of the reshuffle .
Boris Johnson wanted his Chancellor to stay , pleading with him not to quit .
Dominic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us to the rest of the changes .
The sacking of Julian Smith ; the promotion of Alok Sharma , Oliver Dowden , Brandon Lewis , George Eustice and Ann-Marie Trevelyan ; the dismissal of Andrea Leadsom , Theresa Villiers and Geoffrey Cox ; Michael Gove ’ s modest but significant increase in responsibilities ; the modified return outside Cabinet of Penny Mordaunt and James Brokenshire ; the sending-to-CCHQ of Amanda Milling : all these have a theme in common .
It is that Johnson , not Cummings , is ultimately in control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for , as we have seen , Javid would still be in Number 11 if the Prime Minister had had his way .
Johnson has never been powered by the Christian ethic and – though he will often shrug off grudges , slights and grievances , with the curious breadth and humour that marks him – forgiveness is nowhere near the centre of his moral code .
Rather , he is looking from his Ministers for a combination of loyalty and grip .
Some of those who have gone , like Smith , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but not the former .
Others , the other way round .
Leadsom was a rival leadership candidate .
Villiers was slow to come out for his Brexit deal .
Look further down Government ’ s food chain , and you will find the same .
Nus Ghani , tipped for promotion but fired yesterday , backed Jeremy Hunt last year .
For what it ’ s worth , we think the Prime Minister ’ s judgement on those he fired is wide of the mark .
For example , we would have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the House .
She excelled in the post under Theresa May ’ s haunted premiership , and few recognise Theresa Villiers ’ successes .
If Smith is to be praised for his role in bringing Northern Ireland a settlement , what about Villiers ’ own earlier role in achieving the same in 2014 ?
There is a double standard here among the Green Jersey Cognoscenti , doubtless because Villiers was originally for Brexit while Smith was not .
But ConHome doesn ’ t rule the world , which is doubtless just as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contrary this morning , does Cummings .
None the less , Johnson is inclined to let him have his way , at least most of the time , on personnel , if not on policy .
If Johnson is the monarch , Cummings has vice-regal powers .
He jested this week that the cast of PJ Masks would provide a better Cabinet than its then members .
( On second thoughts , maybe he wasn ’ t joking . )
At any rate , he now has what he wants – Ministers that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Pow !
Here comes Catboy Rishi Sunak .
Wham !
There goes Owlette Anne-Marie Trevelyan .
Look over there !
It ’ s P.J.Robot Oliver Dowden .
The most interesting senior appointment of all , to our mind , is that of Gekko Alok Sharma .
To him falls the fearsome responsibility of helping to deliver the the techonology , procurement and business revolution that Cummings yearns for .
As for the new Chancellor , this rising politician , who performed so durably during December ’ s election , is now the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he grows , and isn ’ t scythed down .
To travel further down the appointments is to see Number Ten ’ s oversight wane and the Whips ’ grip wax .
This is a very good shuffle for them as an institution .
Amanda Milling was Deputy Chief Whip as well as a former member of Johnson ’ s exiled court .
Chris Pincher , Andrew Stephenson , Stuart Andrew , Jeremy Quin : up the ranks these whips or former whips go .
Meanwhile , the restoration of Mordaunt , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ signal .
Keep your nose clean and you can return , though not at the level at which you left .
Among the promoted women , Chloe Smith , Michelle Donelan and Helen Whately are now Ministers of State , and contenders for Cabinet next time round .
( By the way , Number Ten ’ s targets for more female Ministers are less ambitious than they look . )
So then : neither Johnson nor Cummings has taken back control in this shuffle – because neither of them ever lost it .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Prime Minister ’ s nose-thumbing at Brexit extension , his contempt for that notorious Supreme Court judgement , and Cummings ’ own original appointment should have taught us by now .
Johnson and his top team are on a mission .
For them , this time and always , it is truly Do Or Die .
Talking of forgiveness , or the lack of it , watch Suella Braverman .
On this site only recently , she tore into the judges : “ As we start this new chapter of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power ceded to another place – the courts , ” she wrote .
Braverman has undoubtedly been put in place to help restore the constitution ’ s balance .
Policy Exchange ’ s Judicial Power Project is about to take flesh .
Today , cunning old Johnson – “ the greased albino piglet ” , as David Cameron calls him – will be out of the line of fire , and P.J.Masks ’ very own Splat Monster Cummings will be bang in it .
He will take the blame or the credit for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the aim as we ponder the future .
To be sure , the Prime Minister has a whacking majority , and Cummings ’ judgement is surely right : for the moment , MPs and the media have no leverage .
But tomorrow is another , darker day .
Sunak must scramble to put a Budget together in less than a month .
Current spending is tight , and he new Chancellor will be looking for some tax rises .
Huawei is not a settled issue as far as the Commons is concerned – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turns specifically to Conservative MPs .
A big defence spending row looms .
Nor is the policy shape of this Government clear : what return will consumers , rather than producers , get out of all that spending on schools and hospitals ?
What happened to reform ?
Cummings ’ answer may be : “ PJ Masks , we ’ re on our way .
Into the night , to save the day !
” But life is not a cartoon strip .
It is lived in three dimensions .
Government needs more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than referendums and elections allow .

Sajid Javid was right to resign. Some will say that his was a noble, principled, act of self-sacrifice – and that if other Ministers showed even a drop of the same integrity and loyalty, Westminster would be a better place.
Others will counter that he had no choice – that, having lost one SpAd, Sonia Khan, to Dominic Cummings, he could scarcely afford to lose all the rest. And then walk through politics with a sandwich board round his neck proclaiming “Chancellor In Name Only” – like the fabled man who wanders central London with one declaring that the End is Nigh. These takes are not mutually exclusive, and both are correct.
We will return later to Javid’s future, pausing only to add that his departure is a loss to the Government, and that we very much hope he will return. So it seems does the Prime Minister. For one point is clear to us from this defining incident of the reshuffle. Boris Johnson wanted his Chancellor to stay, pleading with him not to quit. Dominic Cummings wanted him out. Which brings us to the rest of the changes.
The sacking of Julian Smith; the promotion of Alok Sharma, Oliver Dowden, Brandon Lewis, George Eustice and Ann-Marie Trevelyan; the dismissal of Andrea Leadsom, Theresa Villiers and Geoffrey Cox; Michael Gove’s modest but significant increase in responsibilities; the modified return outside Cabinet of Penny Mordaunt and James Brokenshire; the sending-to-CCHQ of Amanda Milling: all these have a theme in common.
It is that Johnson, not Cummings, is ultimately in control, insofar as anyone can be – for, as we have seen, Javid would still be in Number 11 if the Prime Minister had had his way. Johnson has never been powered by the Christian ethic and – though he will often shrug off grudges, slights and grievances, with the curious breadth and humour that marks him – forgiveness is nowhere near the centre of his moral code.
Rather, he is looking from his Ministers for a combination of loyalty and grip. Some of those who have gone, like Smith, were seen to have the latter, but not the former. Others, the other way round. Leadsom was a rival leadership candidate. Villiers was slow to come out for his Brexit deal. Look further down Government’s food chain, and you will find the same. Nus Ghani, tipped for promotion but fired yesterday, backed Jeremy Hunt last year.
For what it’s worth, we think the Prime Minister’s judgement on those he fired is wide of the mark. For example, we would have moved Andrea Leadsom to be Leader of the House. She excelled in the post under Theresa May’s haunted premiership, and few recognise Theresa Villiers’ successes. If Smith is to be praised for his role in bringing Northern Ireland a settlement, what about Villiers’ own earlier role in achieving the same in 2014?
There is a double standard here among the Green Jersey Cognoscenti, doubtless because Villiers was originally for Brexit while Smith was not. But ConHome doesn’t rule the world, which is doubtless just as well. Nor, despite claims to the contrary this morning, does Cummings. None the less, Johnson is inclined to let him have his way, at least most of the time, on personnel, if not on policy.
If Johnson is the monarch, Cummings has vice-regal powers. He jested this week that the cast of PJ Masks would provide a better Cabinet than its then members. (On second thoughts, maybe he wasn’t joking.) At any rate, he now has what he wants – Ministers that he and his circle rate as operators. Pow! Here comes Catboy Rishi Sunak. Wham! There goes Owlette Anne-Marie Trevelyan. Look over there! It’s P.J.Robot Oliver Dowden.
The most interesting senior appointment of all, to our mind, is that of Gekko Alok Sharma. To him falls the fearsome responsibility of helping to deliver the the techonology, procurement and business revolution that Cummings yearns for. As for the new Chancellor, this rising politician, who performed so durably during December’s election, is now the tallest of tall poppies. We trust that he grows, and isn’t scythed down.
To travel further down the appointments is to see Number Ten’s oversight wane and the Whips’ grip wax. This is a very good shuffle for them as an institution. Amanda Milling was Deputy Chief Whip as well as a former member of Johnson’s exiled court. Chris Pincher, Andrew Stephenson, Stuart Andrew, Jeremy Quin: up the ranks these whips or former whips go.
Meanwhile, the restoration of Mordaunt, Brokenshire and Greg Hands sends an institutional signal. Keep your nose clean and you can return, though not at the level at which you left. Among the promoted women, Chloe Smith, Michelle Donelan and Helen Whately are now Ministers of State, and contenders for Cabinet next time round. (By the way, Number Ten’s targets for more female Ministers are less ambitious than they look.)
So then: neither Johnson nor Cummings has taken back control in this shuffle – because neither of them ever lost it. It confirms what December’s election, the Prime Minister’s nose-thumbing at Brexit extension, his contempt for that notorious Supreme Court judgement, and Cummings’ own original appointment should have taught us by now. Johnson and his top team are on a mission. For them, this time and always, it is truly Do Or Die.
Talking of forgiveness, or the lack of it, watch Suella Braverman. On this site only recently, she tore into the judges: “As we start this new chapter of our democratic story, our Parliament must retrieve power ceded to another place – the courts,” she wrote. Braverman has undoubtedly been put in place to help restore the constitution’s balance. Policy Exchange’s Judicial Power Project is about to take flesh.
Today, cunning old Johnson – “the greased albino piglet”, as David Cameron calls him – will be out of the line of fire, and P.J.Masks’ very own Splat Monster Cummings will be bang in it. He will take the blame or the credit for yesterday’s changes. We cheer the aim as we ponder the future. To be sure, the Prime Minister has a whacking majority, and Cummings’ judgement is surely right: for the moment, MPs and the media have no leverage.
But tomorrow is another, darker day. Sunak must scramble to put a Budget together in less than a month. Current spending is tight, and he new Chancellor will be looking for some tax rises. Huawei is not a settled issue as far as the Commons is concerned – nor veterans, say, if one turns specifically to Conservative MPs. A big defence spending row looms.
Nor is the policy shape of this Government clear: what return will consumers, rather than producers, get out of all that spending on schools and hospitals? What happened to reform? Cummings’ answer may be: “PJ Masks, we’re on our way. Into the night, to save the day!” But life is not a cartoon strip. It is lived in three dimensions. Government needs more compromise, art, tact and accomodation than referendums and elections allow.


conservativehome--2020-02-14--Reshuffle 2) Iain Dale: It’s a scandal that Housing is now on its tenth Minister in ten years.

Iain Dale presents the evening show on LBC Radio and is a commentator for CNN .
It seems that the estimable Editor of this fine organ was the only one to foresee the departure of Sajid Javid as chancellor .
That ’ s why he ’ s on the big bucks .
Clearly , Boris Johnson and his team thought that Sajid Javid would cave – just as all the other Ministers did who have been threatened with losing their special advisors .
This is one of those occasions where it ’ s entirely possible to see both sides of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Javid , I ’ d like to think I ’ d have done the same thing .
But on the other hand , and from Number Ten ’ s point of view , they want to avoid the Prime Minister-Chancellor rows that have bedevilled various administrations over the years .
We remember the TeeBeeGeeBees of the Tony Blair government .
Some of us recall how Margaret Thatcher ’ s government was partially destroyed by the breakdown between her and her chancellor , Nigel Lawson , over the role of Sir Alan Walters .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ May and her advisers and Philip Hammond and his .
So I get it .
I really do .
But of course the writeups in all the papers this morning are no doubt all about how Dominic Cummings has triumphed over Javid and his supposed ally , Carrie Symonds .
The pundits will be using phrases like “ Classic Dom ” .
Iain Martin from Reaction commented in a tweet yesterday afternoon that , in the latest piece of reshuffle news , “ Boris Johnson has accepted the role of deputy prime minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 /Treasury liaison unit needs to be staffed very carefully , mindful of the fact that the new Chancellor , Rishi Sunak , can not be allowed to be portrayed as a supplicant .
I hope it ’ s headed up by Eddie Lister .
He ’ s a natural conciliator .
The success of this cabinet will depend in large part on which ministers can pull alongside Michael Gove – and earn the description of being ‘ transformational ’ .
They all have the opportunity to do it , but which are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ very high hopes of Alok Sharma , the new Business Secretary .
He comes into the department with very little baggage and the full backing of the Prime Minister .
Brandon Lewis in Northern Ireland has a huge opportunity to build on Julian Smith ’ s legacy .
Sometimes it pays to be in the right place at the right time .
Lewis is a natural coalition builder , and I suspect Northern Ireland will take to him in a way that it hasn ’ t with some others .
Grant Shapps is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the fate of the Government will depend in some part on his ability to juggle the various transport priorities .
George Eustice at DEFRA has a huge opportunity to make a big impact , but needs to look to Gove as his example .
He transformed that department .
But it is Therese Coffey and Matt Hancock , survivors of the shuffle , who have the biggest opportunities to be transformational – Coffey in the field of universal credit and Hancock on social care .
I wish them all luck .
Reshuffles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be settled , not just by the Prime Minister of the day , but also by his advisers and by other ministers .
Some sackings appear at first sight utterly incomprehensible , but dig a little deeper and there ’ s always a reason .
Take the case of Nus Ghani , a Transport Minister until yesterday , She was one of the few Jeremy Hunt supporters to survive the cull in when Boris Johnson appointed his first government in July .
It could be that she crept under the wire and no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Unlikely , though .
So was her dismissal because she was an incompetent minister ?
My friends in the Transport sector thought she was rather good in dealing with them in the maritime and aviation sectors .
It is possible , I suppose , that a senior Minister put the black spot on her ( and indeed on another Transport junior minister , George Freeman ) .
All in all , it seems very odd to sack a young , BAME minister who has done nothing obviously wrong .
But that ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the departure of Esther McVey , we are now on our tenth housing minister in ten years .
I ’ m sorry to see her leave government , but the appointment was never going to work .
For someone who had been a full Cabinet member to later be appointed as number two to the Cabinet ’ s youngest minister was always going to be a tough ask .
Housing is one of the most important jobs in government , and merits a full cabinet position on its own .
Chris Pincher , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the post for the rest of this Parliament .
It ’ s the only way that a housing strategy can be implemented properly .
Can you imagine any politician other than Rory Stewart getting away with using a campaign hashtag # comekipwithme ?
He ’ s asking Londoners to let him sleep overnight in their homes .
That way , he says , he can really find out what they think .
He ’ s done it before .
During his 21 month trek across Afghanistan , he stayed with 500 different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people have offered to put him up for the night and chew his ear .
I interviewed him about it on Tuesday , when he recounted his visit to Lorraine in Newham last week .
He sat up there late into the night , sitting on the floor in his pyjamas chatting away .
Woah .
Not weird at all… The London mayoral campaign hasn ’ t really sprung into life yet , possibly because everyone believes that Sadiq Khan will romp to victory .
Given Labour ’ s travails at the moment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ case , and you can bet your bottom dollar his campaign will hardly mention Labour .
At least , that ’ s if his campaign team have any sense .
Unfortunately for the Conservatives , Shaun Bailey , the Tory candidate shows no sign of making any breakthrough whatsoever , and with Stewart ’ s intervention it ’ s difficult to see how he can win .

Iain Dale presents the evening show on LBC Radio and is a commentator for CNN.
It seems that the estimable Editor of this fine organ was the only one to foresee the departure of Sajid Javid as chancellor. That’s why he’s on the big bucks. Clearly, Boris Johnson and his team thought that Sajid Javid would cave – just as all the other Ministers did who have been threatened with losing their special advisors.
This is one of those occasions where it’s entirely possible to see both sides of the argument. If I had been Javid, I’d like to think I’d have done the same thing.
But on the other hand, and from Number Ten’s point of view, they want to avoid the Prime Minister-Chancellor rows that have bedevilled various administrations over the years.
We remember the TeeBeeGeeBees of the Tony Blair government. Some of us recall how Margaret Thatcher’s government was partially destroyed by the breakdown between her and her chancellor, Nigel Lawson, over the role of Sir Alan Walters. And we remember the fallout between Theresa May and her advisers and Philip Hammond and his.
So I get it. I really do. But of course the writeups in all the papers this morning are no doubt all about how Dominic Cummings has triumphed over Javid and his supposed ally, Carrie Symonds.
The pundits will be using phrases like “Classic Dom”. Iain Martin from Reaction commented in a tweet yesterday afternoon that, in the latest piece of reshuffle news, “Boris Johnson has accepted the role of deputy prime minister”. Lols.
The new Number 10 /Treasury liaison unit needs to be staffed very carefully, mindful of the fact that the new Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, cannot be allowed to be portrayed as a supplicant. I hope it’s headed up by Eddie Lister. He’s a natural conciliator.
– – – – – – – – – –
The success of this cabinet will depend in large part on which ministers can pull alongside Michael Gove – and earn the description of being ‘transformational’. They all have the opportunity to do it, but which are most likely to succeed?
I have very high hopes of Alok Sharma, the new Business Secretary. He comes into the department with very little baggage and the full backing of the Prime Minister.
Brandon Lewis in Northern Ireland has a huge opportunity to build on Julian Smith’s legacy. Sometimes it pays to be in the right place at the right time. Lewis is a natural coalition builder, and I suspect Northern Ireland will take to him in a way that it hasn’t with some others.
Grant Shapps is building a very positive reputation at Transport and the fate of the Government will depend in some part on his ability to juggle the various transport priorities.
George Eustice at DEFRA has a huge opportunity to make a big impact, but needs to look to Gove as his example. He transformed that department.
But it is Therese Coffey and Matt Hancock, survivors of the shuffle, who have the biggest opportunities to be transformational – Coffey in the field of universal credit and Hancock on social care. I wish them all luck.
– – – – – – – – – –
Reshuffles are a time when old scores can be settled, not just by the Prime Minister of the day, but also by his advisers and by other ministers. Some sackings appear at first sight utterly incomprehensible, but dig a little deeper and there’s always a reason.
Take the case of Nus Ghani, a Transport Minister until yesterday, She was one of the few Jeremy Hunt supporters to survive the cull in when Boris Johnson appointed his first government in July. It could be that she crept under the wire and no one had spotted her support for Hunt.
Unlikely, though. So was her dismissal because she was an incompetent minister? My friends in the Transport sector thought she was rather good in dealing with them in the maritime and aviation sectors. It is possible, I suppose, that a senior Minister put the black spot on her (and indeed on another Transport junior minister, George Freeman).
All in all, it seems very odd to sack a young, BAME minister who has done nothing obviously wrong. But that’s politics, I suppose.
– – – – – – – – – –
With the departure of Esther McVey, we are now on our tenth housing minister in ten years. I’m sorry to see her leave government, but the appointment was never going to work.
For someone who had been a full Cabinet member to later be appointed as number two to the Cabinet’s youngest minister was always going to be a tough ask. Housing is one of the most important jobs in government, and merits a full cabinet position on its own.
Chris Pincher, the new Housing Minister, must stay in the post for the rest of this Parliament. It’s the only way that a housing strategy can be implemented properly.
– – – – – – – – – –
Can you imagine any politician other than Rory Stewart getting away with using a campaign hashtag #comekipwithme?
He’s asking Londoners to let him sleep overnight in their homes. That way, he says, he can really find out what they think. He’s done it before. During his 21 month trek across Afghanistan, he stayed with 500 different families.
Apparently, more than 500 people have offered to put him up for the night and chew his ear. I interviewed him about it on Tuesday, when he recounted his visit to Lorraine in Newham last week. He sat up there late into the night, sitting on the floor in his pyjamas chatting away. Woah. Not weird at all…
The London mayoral campaign hasn’t really sprung into life yet, possibly because everyone believes that Sadiq Khan will romp to victory. Given Labour’s travails at the moment, this ought not to be the case, and you can bet your bottom dollar his campaign will hardly mention Labour.
At least, that’s if his campaign team have any sense. Unfortunately for the Conservatives, Shaun Bailey, the Tory candidate shows no sign of making any breakthrough whatsoever, and with Stewart’s intervention it’s difficult to see how he can win.


conservativehome--2020-02-14--John Fareham: The Humberside mindset must go

Cllr John Fareham is the Leader of the Conservative Group on Hull City Council .
He was first elected in 1983 .
On 1st April 1996 , the much-loathed county council of Humberside , along with Avon , Merseyside , and other abominations of the 1972 Local Government Act was finally abolished .
Or was it ?
Humberside lives on in the name of the police , the fire service , and the BBC Radio station .
Like an embarrassing aroma at a party , it lingers .
Does the name matter ?
Probably not – except for unreconstructed recidivists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beyond “ Humberside by stealth ” .
Want a Local Enterprise Partnership ( LEP ) ?
Make one out of the four district councils born from the demise of Humberside .
( North Lincolnshire , NE Lincolnshire , East Riding of Yorkshire , and Kingston upon Hull ) .
Sub-regional Planning Board ?
Make one out of the four… Want a Regional body ?
Call it Yorkshire and the Humber so we can take in some of Lincolnshire – the other enormous historic county .
Because Associated British Ports own all the Humber @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic identity .
As if the views of a company largely owned by non-local financial investment companies was the sole identifier in the area : an estuarial river of some 38 and a quarter miles length , spanned by not even a handful of bridges .
The two Lincolnshire councils , their identification of community clear in their names , are about the size of either Hull or East Riding individually , a significant imbalance on the two banks of the river .
Traditionally the South Bank and Hull were Labour with East @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now three to one , the other way .
Hull and East Riding on the North Bank are comparably sized by population and number of councillors , but one is a compact industrial , commercial , and cultural centre ; the other is suburbia to Hull or , at the other end of its enormous area ( the council with the longest stretch of coast on the East Coast ) it is rural looking towards York/Leeds .
This is not a match made in heaven .
Lately , the two Lincolnshire councils became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the docks and riverside industry , their community of interest is with Lincolnshire – and if a connection with Yorkshire is seen for many , it is Doncaster rather than Hull .
Why does this matter ?
Because once again the Conservative Party is getting tied up in knots about local government re-organisation , this time bypassing the Royal Commission/Parliamentary route .
The constant mantra of “ Combined Authorities ” , or “ yet another tier of politics further removed from the people ” mixed with the current trend towards councils only being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ act of unnecessary problem creation .
Yorkshire , the largest County in the country , rural but containing many major Cities , seems incapable of any natural grouping for Combined Authorities .
North Yorkshire and its districts can not agree ; nobody really wants Hull ( too big to join equally with neighbours , too small to join another City with equality ) .
We have all endured the failure of “ One Yorkshire ” ( an absurd idea of one Mayor for an area of 5,064 and a quarter sq .
miles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen the dream team as being part of the Leeds City Region , South Yorkshire – who themselves also didn ’ t see joining One Yorkshire as viable .
Wakefield has found no natural home – the truth is away from perhaps Leeds/Bradford , Yorkshire is too big and too diverse for a one size fits all approach .
As early Kings parcelled out administrative areas to favoured retainers ; as medieval trade spoke for precise areas , and as local government evolved to be local rather than remote , the idea of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for LEPs , one can only sympathise with East Riding ( ideally in both North Yorkshire and Hull ) and the Lincolnshire authorities – one set of interests connected to an industrial river and another set to a rural and suburban Lincolnshire .
The pragmatic Conservative answer is obvious – if your council is both rural/industrial , or suburban/rural let it join an industrial and a rural LEP – not shoehorn it into a single area based on a political whim – ministerial not even Parliamentary Eric Pickles , in his own inimitable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why does it matter to us what structure you choose to run your councils ?
” That is the pragmatic Conservative way .
Funding remains overwhelmingly set and apportioned by Westminster , and as competitive bidding is the name of the game today , then does it really matter what number of LEPs there are ?
If either Lincolnshire council gets funding for rural employment initiatives via membership of a Lincolnshire LEP – or obtains access to industrial employment regeneration working with the North Bank : that is good governance when a Council @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Shoe-horning into a single-interest LEP when a council is diverse is to set up failure .
As Conservatives , we believe in pragmatism , and accept Parliament is sovereign : Parliament , not Ministers .
If Ministers want to bring back failed counties such as Humberside , let them do it by the open and accountable Royal Commission and proposals laid before the House .
Otherwise let councils deliver their tasks , via competitive funding if needs be and Minsters determine .
But do not try to slew democracy by hidden persuasion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ back of queue ” if a Ministerially approved Combined Authority is not accepted .
Demanding membership of a single LEP when Parliament has approved a Council area of twin interests is fundamentally wrong .
It removes the “ local ” from local government and subverts the will of Parliament in setting up the 1996 settlement .
By all means , undo that settlement , Parliament is sovereign and we exist at their pleasure .
But let it be the will of Parliament not the Divine Right of Ministers .

Cllr John Fareham is the Leader of the Conservative Group on Hull City Council. He was first elected in 1983.
On 1st April 1996, the much-loathed county council of Humberside, along with Avon, Merseyside, and other abominations of the 1972 Local Government Act was finally abolished. Or was it?
Humberside lives on in the name of the police, the fire service, and the BBC Radio station. Like an embarrassing aroma at a party, it lingers. Does the name matter? Probably not – except for unreconstructed recidivists who seem unable to progress institutional thinking beyond “Humberside by stealth”.
Want a Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)? Make one out of the four district councils born from the demise of Humberside. (North Lincolnshire, NE Lincolnshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, and Kingston upon Hull).
Sub-regional Planning Board? Make one out of the four…
Want a Regional body? Call it Yorkshire and the Humber so we can take in some of Lincolnshire – the other enormous historic county.
Because Associated British Ports own all the Humber ports some argued it creates a coherent economic identity. As if the views of a company largely owned by non-local financial investment companies was the sole identifier in the area: an estuarial river of some 38 and a quarter miles length, spanned by not even a handful of bridges.
The two Lincolnshire councils, their identification of community clear in their names, are about the size of either Hull or East Riding individually, a significant imbalance on the two banks of the river. Traditionally the South Bank and Hull were Labour with East Riding, Conservative – an imbalance, now three to one, the other way. Hull and East Riding on the North Bank are comparably sized by population and number of councillors, but one is a compact industrial, commercial, and cultural centre; the other is suburbia to Hull or, at the other end of its enormous area (the council with the longest stretch of coast on the East Coast) it is rural looking towards York/Leeds. This is not a match made in heaven.
Lately, the two Lincolnshire councils became Conservative, realising that, away from the docks and riverside industry, their community of interest is with Lincolnshire – and if a connection with Yorkshire is seen for many, it is Doncaster rather than Hull. Why does this matter? Because once again the Conservative Party is getting tied up in knots about local government re-organisation, this time bypassing the Royal Commission/Parliamentary route.
The constant mantra of “Combined Authorities”, or “yet another tier of politics further removed from the people” mixed with the current trend towards councils only being allowed in one LEP is a spectacular act of unnecessary problem creation. Yorkshire, the largest County in the country, rural but containing many major Cities, seems incapable of any natural grouping for Combined Authorities. North Yorkshire and its districts cannot agree; nobody really wants Hull (too big to join equally with neighbours, too small to join another City with equality). We have all endured the failure of “One Yorkshire” (an absurd idea of one Mayor for an area of 5,064 and a quarter sq. miles). At various times Hull has seen the dream team as being part of the Leeds City Region, South Yorkshire – who themselves also didn’t see joining One Yorkshire as viable. Wakefield has found no natural home – the truth is away from perhaps Leeds/Bradford, Yorkshire is too big and too diverse for a one size fits all approach. As early Kings parcelled out administrative areas to favoured retainers; as medieval trade spoke for precise areas, and as local government evolved to be local rather than remote, the idea of a Combined Authority is alien.
As for LEPs, one can only sympathise with East Riding (ideally in both North Yorkshire and Hull) and the Lincolnshire authorities – one set of interests connected to an industrial river and another set to a rural and suburban Lincolnshire. The pragmatic Conservative answer is obvious – if your council is both rural/industrial, or suburban/rural let it join an industrial and a rural LEP – not shoehorn it into a single area based on a political whim – ministerial not even Parliamentary
Eric Pickles, in his own inimitable style, once said “Chums, why does it matter to us what structure you choose to run your councils?” That is the pragmatic Conservative way. Funding remains overwhelmingly set and apportioned by Westminster, and as competitive bidding is the name of the game today, then does it really matter what number of LEPs there are? If either Lincolnshire council gets funding for rural employment initiatives via membership of a Lincolnshire LEP – or obtains access to industrial employment regeneration working with the North Bank: that is good governance when a Council is charged with serving all its communities. Shoe-horning into a single-interest LEP when a council is diverse is to set up failure.
As Conservatives, we believe in pragmatism, and accept Parliament is sovereign: Parliament, not Ministers.
If Ministers want to bring back failed counties such as Humberside, let them do it by the open and accountable Royal Commission and proposals laid before the House. Otherwise let councils deliver their tasks, via competitive funding if needs be and Minsters determine. But do not try to slew democracy by hidden persuasion. Threatening with being placed at the “back of queue” if a Ministerially approved Combined Authority is not accepted. Demanding membership of a single LEP when Parliament has approved a Council area of twin interests is fundamentally wrong. It removes the “local” from local government and subverts the will of Parliament in setting up the 1996 settlement. By all means, undo that settlement, Parliament is sovereign and we exist at their pleasure. But let it be the will of Parliament not the Divine Right of Ministers.


conservativehome--2020-02-14--Council by-election results from yesterday and forthcoming contests

Labour 1,851 ( 50.4 per cent , +22.8 on 2017 ) Conservatives 1,048 ( 28.5 per cent , -6.1 ) Lib Dems 721 ( 19.6 per cent , -14.0 ) Independent 52 ( 1.4 per cent , +1.4 ) Conservatives 431 ( 78.5 per cent , -9.0 on 2019 ) Labour 118 ( 21.5 per cent , +9.0 ) Conservatives 776 ( 49.0 per cent , +3.5 on 2019 ) Labour 655 ( 41.3 per cent , -13.2 ) Lib Dems 104 ( 6.6 per cent , +6.6 ) Green Party 50 ( 3.2 per cent , +3.2 ) Conservatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on 2018 ) Independent 429 ( 35.8 per cent , +35.8 ) Lib Dems 109 ( 9.1 per cent , -15.7 ) Labour 103 ( 8.6 per cent , -20.8 ) Conservatives 516 ( 50.9 per cent , +14.2 on 2019 ) Green Party 290 ( 28.5 per cent , +10.4 ) Labour 109 ( 10.7 per cent , -4.4 ) Independent 101 ( 9.9 per cent , -5.8 ) Independent 452 ( 50.6 per cent , +16.3 on 2019 ) Conservatives 328 ( 36.7 per cent , +17.3 ) Independent 113 ( @ @ @ @ @ @

Derbyshire – Whaley Bridge
Labour 1,851 (50.4 per cent, +22.8 on 2017) Conservatives 1,048 (28.5 per cent, -6.1) Lib Dems 721 (19.6 per cent, -14.0) Independent 52 (1.4 per cent, +1.4)
Labour gain from Conservatives
East Staffordshire – Yoxall
Conservatives 431 (78.5 per cent, -9.0 on 2019) Labour 118 (21.5 per cent, +9.0)
Conservatives hold
Hertsmere – Borehamwood Kenilworth
Conservatives 776 (49.0 per cent, +3.5 on 2019) Labour 655 (41.3 per cent, -13.2) Lib Dems 104 (6.6 per cent, +6.6) Green Party 50 (3.2 per cent, +3.2)
Conservatives gain from Labour.
Huntingdonshire – St Ives East
Conservatives 558 (46.5 per cent, +0.7 on 2018) Independent 429 (35.8 per cent, +35.8) Lib Dems 109 (9.1 per cent, -15.7) Labour 103 (8.6 per cent, -20.8)
Conservatives hold
Thanet – Cliffsend & Pegwell
Conservatives 516 (50.9 per cent, +14.2 on 2019) Green Party 290 (28.5 per cent, +10.4) Labour 109 (10.7 per cent, -4.4) Independent 101 (9.9 per cent, -5.8)
Conservatives hold
Waverley – Milford
Independent 452 (50.6 per cent, +16.3 on 2019) Conservatives 328 (36.7 per cent, +17.3) Independent 113 (12.7 per cent, +12.7)
Independent gain from another independent.
Forthcoming contests
February 20th
Middlesbrough – Coulby Newham (Independent held)
February 27th
Blaby – Millfield (Labour held)
Cambridgeshire – Duxford (Conservative held)
Cheshire East – Crewe South (Labour held)
Hillingdon – Hillingdon East (Conservative held)
Manchester – Clayton and Openshaw (Labour held)
South Cambridgeshire – Whittlesford (Conservative held)
Wrexham – Gwersyllt North (Independent held)
March 10th
Wiltshire – Till and Wylye Valley (Conservative held)
March 12th
Highland – Eilean a’ Cheò (Independent held)
Stratford-on-Avon – Welford-on-Avon (Lib Dem held)
March 19th
Clackmannanshire – Clackmannanshire East (Conservative held)


conservativehome--2020-02-14--Carlaw elected new Leader of the Scottish Conservatives

Congratulations to Jackson Carlaw who has been elected Leader of the Scottish Conservatives .
Carlaw is the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Eastwood .
He was already serving as the interim leader after Ruth Davidson resigned in August .
His policy proposals include increasing the number of teachers in Scotland by 2,000 , bringing income tax rates into line with England , and opposing SNP plans for a Parking Tax .
Commiserations to Michelle Ballantyne who challenged him for the post .
She is an MSP for the South Scotland region .
While the odds were always against her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have a “ coronation ” .
The contest has been positive and helped attract media interest in the Scottish Conservative message .
But she did criticise the Scottish Conservative campaign in the General Election saying it “ lacked vision and ambition ” .
She has congratulated Carlaw .
Carlaw was very much the favourite , and won by a decisive margin , gaining over three-quarters of the vote .
The full result was as follows : In 2011 , when Ruth Davidson was elected , a total of 5,676 votes were cast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is an encouraging sign – especially as the 2011 contest was much tighter .
“ This is not about asking the people of Scotland to re-elect us as a strong opposition , this is about offering the people of Scotland a clear alternative to the SNP and then fighting all the way to polling day next year to provide them with an alternative government .
“ I have a bigger share of the vote than Boris Johnson achieved in his leadership election , I have a bigger share of the vote than Ruth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vote than David Cameron achieved in any of the previous Conservative Party leadership elections .
“ So I have a clear mandate from the party in Scotland now to make the changes required to lead us into the election next year.
” Both candidates wrote for us setting out their cases .
Ballantyne ’ s is here .
Carlaw ’ s is here .
Elections for the Scottish Parliament take place next year .

Congratulations to Jackson Carlaw who has been elected Leader of the Scottish Conservatives. Carlaw is the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Eastwood. He was already serving as the interim leader after Ruth Davidson resigned in August. His policy proposals include increasing the number of teachers in Scotland by 2,000, bringing income tax rates into line with England, and opposing SNP plans for a Parking Tax.
Commiserations to Michelle Ballantyne who challenged him for the post. She is an MSP for the South Scotland region. While the odds were always against her, she felt it was important not to have a “coronation”. The contest has been positive and helped attract media interest in the Scottish Conservative message. But she did criticise the Scottish Conservative campaign in the General Election saying it “lacked vision and ambition”. She has congratulated Carlaw.
Carlaw was very much the favourite, and won by a decisive margin, gaining over three-quarters of the vote. The full result was as follows:
Ballantyne: 1,581 (24 per cent)
Carlaw: 4,917 (76 per cent)
In 2011, when Ruth Davidson was elected, a total of 5,676 votes were cast. So the higher figure this time is an encouraging sign – especially as the 2011 contest was much tighter.
Carlaw said:
“This is not about asking the people of Scotland to re-elect us as a strong opposition, this is about offering the people of Scotland a clear alternative to the SNP and then fighting all the way to polling day next year to provide them with an alternative government.
“I have a bigger share of the vote than Boris Johnson achieved in his leadership election, I have a bigger share of the vote than Ruth Davidson achieved, a bigger share of the vote than David Cameron achieved in any of the previous Conservative Party leadership elections.
“So I have a clear mandate from the party in Scotland now to make the changes required to lead us into the election next year.”
Both candidates wrote for us setting out their cases. Ballantyne’s is here. Carlaw’s is here.
Elections for the Scottish Parliament take place next year.


conservativehome--2020-02-14--Reshuffle Live Blog – As the reshuffle winds down, the new Johnson Cabinet in full

It looks as if the reshuffle has petered out , so we ’ re going to wrap up this live blog .
To conclude , here is the full list of the membership of the new Johnson Cabinet ( image by Political Intelligence ) : • Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – Michael Gove • Leader of the House of Commons – Jacob Rees-Mogg • Leader of the House of Lords – Baroness Evans • Lord Callanan is now Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy .
• Gillian Keegan has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ State in the Department for Education .
No more announcements – the Guardian suggests the reshuffle is “ running out of steam ” – but an interesting observation on the new Cabinet courtesy of the Institute for Government : “ …much of the cabinet already has experience of sitting around the table .
Only three full members – Anne-Marie Trevelyan , Amanda Milling and George Eustice – and Suella Braverman , the new attorney general who attends cabinet , have not been around the table before.
” This is a useful counterpoint to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rewarding loyalty at the expense of experience – and coming from the IfG , it is presented in a very handsome graphic !
More on their blog .
After a few hours of radio silence there has been a bumper crop of announcements .
These are all continuity posts , including Nick Gibb continuing his extraordinary stint as Schools Minister .
But whilst his staying put will be no surprise , some of the other names might be – Jesse Norman , for example , remains where is is despite having been elevated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • Rt Hon Jesse Norman remains as Financial Secretary to the Treasury • Lucy Frazer QC remains as a Minister of State in the Ministry of Justice • Rt Hon Nick Gibb remains as a Minister of State in the Department for Education • Justin Tomlinson remains as a Minister of State in the Department for Work and Pensions • John Glen remains as Economic Secretary to the Treasury • Nadhim Zahawi remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy • David TC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of State in the Wales Office and as an Assistant Government Whip • Johnny Mercer remains as a joint Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office and in the Ministry of Defence .
• James Heappey remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Defence • Rebecca Pow remains a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Environment , Food and Rural Affairs • Jo Churchill remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Health and Social Care • Nadine Dorries remains as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department of Health and Social Care • Kevin Foster remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Home Office • Luke Hall remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Housing , Communities and Local Government • Graham Stuart remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for International Trade • Mims Davies remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Work and Pensions • Guy Opperman remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Work and Pensions • Rt Hon Earl Howe CBE remains as a Minister of State ( Deputy Leader of the House of Lords ) • Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon remains as a joint Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and in the Department for International Development • Baroness Goldie DL remains as a Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence • Baroness Barran MBE remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Digital , Culture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Kimble remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Environment , Food and Rural Affairs • Baroness Vere of Norbiton remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Transport • Baroness Stedman-Scott OBE remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Work and Pensions Another dimension to the reshuffle , specifically the dismissal of Sajid Javid over his refusal to allow Downing Street to annex his advisers , is to what extent the Prime Minister ’ s attitude reflects strength @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may become more significant once the Government inevitably leaves its current imperial honeymoon .
Making the former case , Stephen Bush of the New Statesman argues that Boris Johnson is quite possibly the most powerful Prime Minister in history , benefiting from a ‘ unipolar moment ’ which has seen Labour reduced to impotence whilst simultaneously forcing many of Johnson ’ s opponents out of the Conservative Party and handing him a huge Commons majority .
In this view , the abolition of the ‘ Imperial Treasury ’ is a consolidation of that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cameron-Osborne alliance in favour of an operation effectively run directly from Downing Street .
The alternative view , put out by Johnson ’ s critics , spins this quite differently .
In this reading , Johnson is actually mimicking the pattern best set out by Hannah Arendt in her seminal book , The Origins of Totalitarianism : “ Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents , regardless of their sympathies , with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty.
” Suffice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whiff of # FBPE hysteria about comparisons between the current Government and a dictatorship .
But there is a grain of truth in the idea that prioritising loyalty to the extent that Johnson did yesterday is a sign of fragility .
A Prime Minister at the height of his powers , the argument runs , ought to feel secure enough to bring “ first-rate talents ” to the table , even if they aren ’ t long-standing loyalists .
A third option is that Johnson is gathering his loyalists to him because he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ programme which will deeply divide the Conservative Party .
With the Government being coy about the future of its fiscal rules , and the recent kite-flying over swingeing tax increases , this probably can ’ t be ruled out .
There has been a slowdown in announcements , leaving commentators to pick through the aftermath of yesterday ’ s events .
One thing the Prime Minister is being criticised for is the increased proportion of privately-educated ministers in his new Cabinet .
According to the Independent , “ nearly two-thirds of his top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This follows criticisms that it also sports fewer female and ethnic minority members , also in each case the total has only fallen by one , despite Johnson ’ s promise to ‘ set the foundations ‘ for a gender-balanced Cabinet .
• Amanda Solloway MP , who regained her seat at the general election , is now a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy .
• Victoria Prentis has been appointed a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Environment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who departs the DfE after having apparently developed a ‘ divisive ’ reputation , becomes a joint Minister of State in the Cabinet Office and in Her Majesty ’ s Treasury .
• Rachel Maclean has been appointed as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Transport .
• Nigel Huddleston is now a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Digital , Culture , Media and Sport and an Assistant Government Whip .
• Lord True – who led the Government ’ s attempt to filibuster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Parliament – becomes a Minister of State in the Cabinet Office .
• Baroness Berridge becomes Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Education and a Baroness in Waiting .
• Jake Berry has turned down a move to the Foreign Office , which would apparently have involved the loss of his present right to attend Cabinet – see above , where he refers to the family commitments that arise from having three young children under three .
He is one of the former backbench band of Johnson True Believers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Under-Secretary of State for Business ; he keeps responsibility for London as this spring ’ s Mayoral election approaches .
• James Duddridge is back in government , at the same level , at the Foreign Office and International Development .
He was at the time of the EU referendum the sole pro-Leave Minister in the former department .
• Marcus Jones is back in government as a senior whip .
• Brexiteering Simon Clarke promoted to be Minister of State at HCLG .
• Michelle Donelan up a rank to Minister of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not up but sideways to DCMS ( as a Minister of State ) .
• The able and combative Greg Hands is back in government in his old department at Trade .
• Chris Philp from Justice to the Home Office as an Under-Secretary .
• Kemi Badenoch from Education to the Treasury at the same level .
• Kelly Tolhurst from Business to Transport at the same level .
• Wendy Morton from Justice to the Foreign Office & Dfid .
• Amanda Milling , the new Party Chairman , is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Whip indeed , until today ( Deputy ) .
That ’ s an irresistable combination for promotion under this dispensation .
Downing Street now has one Co-Party Chairman who will work seamlessly with the other : Ben Elliott .
Her presence also helps it to meet its commitment , made yesterday , of keeping the number of women who sit around the Cabinet table at least constant .
• None Zac Goldsmith to be a Minister covering three departments in the Lords : Foreign Office , DfID and Defra .
• Nigel Adams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Departments from the Commons ( with Cleverly ) .
• ConHome is told that while Gove won ’ t be running an enlarged Prime Minister ’ s Office , he will , with Dowden ’ s departure from the Cabinet Office , be taking on the latter ’ s responsibilities .
Within that office , Chloe Smith will continue to have responsibilities for the constitution – the Daily Telegraph recently reported that she is now seen within government as an expert on it – but Gove will also hold them at his higher @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so in the wake of December ’ s election : “ the obvious move is to make him Secretary of State for the Constitution , leading the media fightback against the SNP , forming policy for the UK as a whole and perhaps continuing working out of the Cabinet Office.
” • Like Mordaunt , Brokenshire gets another bite at the Ministerial cherry , returning to the Home Office .
• Quin is another Whips Office graduate and well suited in due course to a Trade or Treasury role .
Whateley is poised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looks earmarked for Cabinet in the future .
Walker is spoken of as an unflappable Minister with a solid grasp of his brief .
There is a mass of less senior appointments coming in .
• James Cleverly is off to the Foreign Office as a Minister of State with a characteristically stylish tweet .
It doesn ’ t looks as though he will continue to attend Cabinet .
He will also be a DfID Minister – but that ’ s a continuation of present practice , not part of a radical restructuring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a statement about his departure .
“ I don ’ t believe any self-respecting Minister would accept such conditions ” • Penny Mordaunt is back but not at full Cabinet level : she becomes Paymaster General .
• Amanda Milling , former Deputy Chief Whip , is to be Minister without Portfolio and a Cabinet member .
• Chris Pincher , a former Deputy Chief Whip , to Housing ( yet another change in the post ) .
• Andrew Stephenson , another former senior Whip , to Transport .
Never mind who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like green bay trees .
• And please note : Ben Wallace endures at Defence .
• have a view on legacy issues and veterans .
Sinn Fein and Irish nationalists another .
The DUP has its own take .
And now we have Ireland ’ s election result , plus the rumpus over Julian Smith ’ s sacking .
• None So no pressure for the genial Lewis – who defies predictions that he would be sacked today , not promoted .
His present use as a go-to man for media interviews @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his future than his past clash with Johnson over anti-Muslim hatred .
• Steve Barclay slots into the vacant Chief Secretary post .
( At one stage , he was a pro-Leave Minister working at the Treasury Minister under Philip Hammond ; and before that , the only pro-Brexit MP in the Whip ’ s Office .
So he ’ s up for a challenge .
• And Jacob-Rees Mogg survives that Grenfell quote to stay on as Leader of the House .
• Watch out , Lady Hale – and your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Here she is on : “ Our Parliament must retrieve power ceded to another place – the courts .
For too long , the Diceyan notion of parliamentary supremacy has come under threat.
” Johnson/Cummings is limbering up for major constitutional change : a rebalancing of the relationship between Parliament and the Courts , presumably after the Constitution , Democracy and Rights Commission has reported .
• The clear-out of SpAds continues .
Peter Cardwell , Robert Buckland ’ s media SpAd , who formerly did the same job for James Brokenshire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Chancellor , the Justice Secretary is staying . )
• And George Eustice goes to Defra .
It ’ s yet another reshuffle story success for the Times but , more importantly , an important signal in the policy balance between environmentalists and farmers .
A source tells ConHome : “ Zac would have been a full-on green appointment .
The Chief Whip a full-on NFU appointment .
Eustice strikes a balance.
” Our take is that the moderate Eustice , a farmer , a one-time pro-EEA Leaver and yet another Minister @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tilt towards protection in the overall protection-free trade policy balance .
• Anne-Marie Trevelyan – Defence Minister , one-time resigner over Brexit and former Vote Leaver – becomes International Development Secretary ( again as tweeted yesterday by the Times ) .
• Liz Truss survives at Trade , as foreshadowed by the Prime Minister name-checking her frequently during a speech last week , and Matt Hancock stays at Health .
• And in the least surprising promotion of the shuffle , Oliver Dowden joins the other two legs of a pro-Johnson stool ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full member of the Cabinet , becoming Culture Secretary .
• None As The Times tweeted yesterday evening , Alok Sharma is appointed Business Secretary .
This is a big promotion for the former International Development Secretary , who is rated in Downing Street as a purposeful , non self-promoting and bright loyalist .
To him will now fall the responsibility of charting a course for Government business and science policy post-Brexit .
• The Javid SpAd row seems to have been linked to plans for an expanded Number Ten operation – i.e @ @ @ @ @ @ @ department ( with Michael Gove at the wheel ) .
Javid will have seen what this meant for his own team , and recalled the rate of his former SpAd Sonia Khan – fired by Cummings last year , in a precursor to today ’ s events .
He was clearly unwilling to live with the nickname “ Chino ” – Chancellor in Name Only .
• We warned on Monday morning as follows : “ There is a question mark over Javid ’ s future .
Relations between some of his Special @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poisonous .
The Chancellor has already seen one of his SpAds fired ( Sonia Khan ) .
The Prime Minister may push to dismiss at least two more – Mats Person and Sam Coates .
Which Javid would resist .
This one may not end well.
” And it hasn ’ t .
• To say that this development throws the shuffle off course is a statement of the obvious .
Rishi Sunak to the Treasury and a new Chief Secretary to replace him ?
• This is a competence-and-loyalty clash in spades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t so much that between Johnson and Javid as between Downing Street , for which read Cummings , and the Chancellor ’ s team , for which read his SpAds above ( and others ) .
The briefing and sniping were mutually poisonous .
The Prime Minister has a comfortable majority and no real Opposition from Labour .
And his most strident Tory critics left the Commons in December : Hammond , Gauke , Stewart , Rudd .
But now there is a new potential leader of the internal opposition : Javid .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s sacking is over-stressing policy factors ( the “ legacy issues ” ) at the expense of personal ones .
• The main lesson of his firing is : this is shaping up to be the Loyalty Shuffle .
Smith was seen to be briefing against Johnson and his Brexit policy pre-election .
Leadsom is a former leadership rival .
Cox was felt to be not fully on board .
Ghani was a Hunt supporter last year .
• Competence is important to Number Ten – which is why Sharma , Dowden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But it must come with a personal commitment to the Prime Minister .
• And loyalty is not enough on its own .
Like Johnson , Villiers is one of the original senior Vote Leavers .
But Downing Street sources claim that she “ needed to have her hand held ” and , while not wanting Ministers to grandstand in the media , say that she took the opposite to an extreme .
• There ’ s no suggestion that Skidmore isn ’ t competent , but his move suggests that Downing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Universities and science policy , which is of special interest to Dominic Cummings .
• Javid , Raab , Patel and Gove – the most senior four Ministers – are in Downing Street .
None will move .
• Cox writes a farewell letter that balances i ) making it clear that he hasn ’ t gone willingly with ii ) statements of future loyalty and iii ) a tribute to Brexit and Johnson ’ s leadership of the project .
• Here ’ s a surprise .
Nus Ghani , tipped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been sacked .
She was a Jeremy Hunt supporter in last year ’ s leadership election .
• Michael Ellis , the Solicitor-General , is taking Commons questions in the absence of an Attorney-General .
• George Freeman , with his puppyish energy and passion for ideas , is out from the Transport Department .
“ On my bike , ” he tweets .
• A former Minister in that department , currently at the Treasury , was sworn into the Privy Council yesterday .
Is a promotion coming today for Jesse Norman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ praises her team , “ looks forwards to focusing on my constituents and on my 20+ year campaign to see every baby get the best start in life ” – and takes a parting shot at the Prime Minister over gender equality • So is McVey – who makes no pretence about going willingly : “ I ’ m very sorry to be relieved of my duties as Housing Minister.
” • And so is Chris Skidmore , the Universities Minister , who departs with aplomb .
• If the number of women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constant , as Number Ten was briefing yesterday , that means three more will later be promoted to it – if Villiers has indeed gone too .
• Cox is out – and questions to the Attorney-General will take place in the Commons Chamber in less than half and hour .
Who will be at the despatch box on the Government ’ s behalf ?
• The Prime Minister has left the building – the Palace of Westminster , that is .
He ’ s gone by car to Downing Street .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set to begin .
• The stage is set .
The Prime Minister has been meeting Ministers to sack them in his Commons office .
He will move to Downing Street mid-morning .
He will promote and appoint other Ministers from there : these will walk into Number Ten in front of the cameras .
Repeat until close of play late this afternoon .
• Geoffrey Cox , Andrea Leadsom and Theresa Villiers are also reported to have gone in to Johnson ’ s office – which would means that they will all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a row about whether Smith kept Downing Street informed of his approach to the treatment of Northern Ireland veterans .
Sources there claim he didn ’ t keep them in the loop ; he says that he did .
But this dismissal is ultimately about loyalty to Johnson : the Cummings group within Number Ten , and not least the Prime Minister himself , believe that Smith worked and briefed against the Brexit policy pre-election .
• What does Smith ’ s sacking mean for the veterans policy itself ?
Some will see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prepared to row back from the settlement announced in January on the so-called “ legacy ” issues .
This is always a flammable issue – especially given support for veterans in the Commons , the views of Northern Ireland Unionists and the stance of Sinn Fein , now the biggest party in the Dail following Ireland ’ s election .
• None Oliver Dowden and Alok Sharma will be promoted .
The Times is reporting that Sharma will be Business Secretary , replacing Andrea Leadsom .
• None There is not expected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ female members of Cabinet ( whether that includes those who “ also attend ” isn ’ t clear ) .
• Nicky Morgan is known to be retiring .
Dowden will apparently replace her .
• None Anne-Marie Trevelyan , Suella Braverman and Gillian Keegan are in line for promotion .
Trevelyan was appointed to Defence as a Minister of State last summer , and now serves as Minister for the Armed Forces .
Trevelyan is set to become International Development Secretary according to the Times .
• None Keegan is a Defence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the same day over Brexit in November 2018 .
• If Geoffrey Cox departs the Government tomorrow – though not a full member of Cabinet he is entitled to attend it as Attorney General – it may be worth noting that Braverman is a lawyer .
• The Times also says that George Eustice will become Environment Secretary , replacing Theresa Villiers .
• So if as the Times also claims Liz Truss and Therese Coffey see out the shuffle , that also suggests that , with Morgan leaving the Cabinet and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leadsom stay on elsewhere within it , or else two new women beside Trevelyan are appointed ( if there is no reduction in female Cabinet members ) .
• The most vulnerable male member of Cabinet has been reported to be Ben Wallace .
But according to the Times the Defence Secretary will survive , and Julian Smith , the Northern Ireland Secretary , is potentially in the firing line .
ConservativeHome put a questionmark against his name a few days ago .
• Stand back from these comings and goings and there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reshuffle , Boris Johnson is aiming for half of the Government ’ s Under-Secretaries of State to be women .
That ’ s the second-lowest rung of Government .
By the summer , at least three in five Parliamentary PPS ’ s roles will be held by female MPs .
That ’ s the lowest .
• In short , Downing Street is moving to bury claims that a mass of women Cabinet Ministers will be fired tomorrow .
And to prove that Johnson is determined to solve “ the pipeline problem ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suitable women to be promoted to senior Ministerial posts .
• Number Ten says that “ the Prime Minister wants this reshuffle to set the foundations for Government now and in the future .
He wants to promote a generation of talent that will be promoted further in the coming years .
He will reward those MPs who have worked hard to deliver on this Government ’ s priorities to level up the whole country and deliver the change people voted for last year .
”

5.30pm
It looks as if the reshuffle has petered out, so we’re going to wrap up this live blog. To conclude, here is the full list of the membership of the new Johnson Cabinet (image by Political Intelligence):
Prime Minister – Boris Johnson
– Boris Johnson Chancellor – Rishi Sunak
– Rishi Sunak Home Secretary – Priti Patel
– Priti Patel Foreign Secretary – Dominic Raab
– Dominic Raab Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster – Michael Gove
– Michael Gove Health Secretary – Matt Hancock
– Matt Hancock Defence Secretary – Ben Wallace
– Ben Wallace International Trade Secretary – Liz Truss
– Liz Truss Environment Secretary – George Eustice
– George Eustice Education Secretary – Gavin Williamson
– Gavin Williamson Culture Secretary – Oliver Dowden
– Oliver Dowden Business Secretary – Alok Sharma
– Alok Sharma MHCLG Secretary – Robert Jenrick
– Robert Jenrick Work & Pensions Secretary – Thérèse Coffey
– Thérèse Coffey Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor – Robert Buckland
– Robert Buckland International Development Secretary – Anne-Marie Trevelyan
– Anne-Marie Trevelyan Transport Secretary – Grant Shapps
– Grant Shapps Welsh Secretary – Simon Hart
– Simon Hart Scottish Secretary – Alister Jack
– Alister Jack Northern Irish Secretary – Brandon Lewis
– Brandon Lewis Attorney General – Suella Braverman
– Suella Braverman Chief Secretary to the Treasury – Stephen Barclay
– Stephen Barclay Party Chairman – Amanda Milling
– Amanda Milling Leader of the House of Commons – Jacob Rees-Mogg
– Jacob Rees-Mogg Chief Whip – Mark Spencer
– Mark Spencer Leader of the House of Lords – Baroness Evans
4.30pm
Lord Callanan is now Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Gillian Keegan has been appointed a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Education.
3.30pm
No more announcements – the Guardian suggests the reshuffle is “running out of steam” – but an interesting observation on the new Cabinet courtesy of the Institute for Government:
“…much of the cabinet already has experience of sitting around the table. Only three full members – Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Amanda Milling and George Eustice – and Suella Braverman, the new attorney general who attends cabinet, have not been around the table before.”
This is a useful counterpoint to the suggestion that the Prime Minister is rewarding loyalty at the expense of experience – and coming from the IfG, it is presented in a very handsome graphic! More on their blog.
2.30pm
After a few hours of radio silence there has been a bumper crop of announcements. These are all continuity posts, including Nick Gibb continuing his extraordinary stint as Schools Minister.
But whilst his staying put will be no surprise, some of the other names might be – Jesse Norman, for example, remains where is is despite having been elevated to the Privy Council on Wednesday.
Commons:
Rt Hon Jesse Norman remains as Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Lucy Frazer QC remains as a Minister of State in the Ministry of Justice
Rt Hon Nick Gibb remains as a Minister of State in the Department for Education
Justin Tomlinson remains as a Minister of State in the Department for Work and Pensions
John Glen remains as Economic Secretary to the Treasury
Nadhim Zahawi remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
David TC Davies remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Wales Office and as an Assistant Government Whip
Johnny Mercer remains as a joint Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office and in the Ministry of Defence.
James Heappey remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Defence
Rebecca Pow remains a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Jo Churchill remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Health and Social Care
Nadine Dorries remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Health and Social Care
Kevin Foster remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Home Office
Luke Hall remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Graham Stuart remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for International Trade
Mims Davies remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Work and Pensions
Guy Opperman remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Work and Pensions
Will Quince remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Work and Pensions
Lords:
Rt Hon Earl Howe CBE remains as a Minister of State (Deputy Leader of the House of Lords)
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon remains as a joint Minister of State in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and in the Department for International Development
Baroness Goldie DL remains as a Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence
Baroness Barran MBE remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Lord Gardiner of Kimble remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Baroness Vere of Norbiton remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Transport
Baroness Stedman-Scott OBE remains as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Work and Pensions
2.00pm
Another dimension to the reshuffle, specifically the dismissal of Sajid Javid over his refusal to allow Downing Street to annex his advisers, is to what extent the Prime Minister’s attitude reflects strength versus hinting at a brittle fragility which may become more significant once the Government inevitably leaves its current imperial honeymoon.
Making the former case, Stephen Bush of the New Statesman argues that Boris Johnson is quite possibly the most powerful Prime Minister in history, benefiting from a ‘unipolar moment’ which has seen Labour reduced to impotence whilst simultaneously forcing many of Johnson’s opponents out of the Conservative Party and handing him a huge Commons majority.
In this view, the abolition of the ‘Imperial Treasury’ is a consolidation of that strength, burying the Blair-Brown diarchy and Cameron-Osborne alliance in favour of an operation effectively run directly from Downing Street.
The alternative view, put out by Johnson’s critics, spins this quite differently. In this reading, Johnson is actually mimicking the pattern best set out by Hannah Arendt in her seminal book, The Origins of Totalitarianism:
“Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty.”
Suffice to say there is more than a whiff of #FBPE hysteria about comparisons between the current Government and a dictatorship. But there is a grain of truth in the idea that prioritising loyalty to the extent that Johnson did yesterday is a sign of fragility. A Prime Minister at the height of his powers, the argument runs, ought to feel secure enough to bring “first-rate talents” to the table, even if they aren’t long-standing loyalists.
A third option is that Johnson is gathering his loyalists to him because he intends to try and drive through a programme which will deeply divide the Conservative Party. With the Government being coy about the future of its fiscal rules, and the recent kite-flying over swingeing tax increases, this probably can’t be ruled out.
1.00pm
There has been a slowdown in announcements, leaving commentators to pick through the aftermath of yesterday’s events. One thing the Prime Minister is being criticised for is the increased proportion of privately-educated ministers in his new Cabinet. According to the Independent, “nearly two-thirds of his top team having attended a fee-paying school.”
This follows criticisms that it also sports fewer female and ethnic minority members, also in each case the total has only fallen by one, despite Johnson’s promise to ‘set the foundations‘ for a gender-balanced Cabinet.
12pm
Amanda Solloway MP, who regained her seat at the general election, is now a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
Victoria Prentis has been appointed a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Lord Agnew, who departs the DfE after having apparently developed a ‘divisive’ reputation, becomes a joint Minister of State in the Cabinet Office and in Her Majesty’s Treasury.
11am
Henry Hill reporting:
Rachel Maclean has been appointed as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Transport.
Nigel Huddleston is now a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and an Assistant Government Whip.
Lord True – who led the Government’s attempt to filibuster the anti-no deal legislation in the last Parliament – becomes a Minister of State in the Cabinet Office.
Baroness Berridge becomes Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Education and a Baroness in Waiting.
Friday February 14
7am
Paul Goodman reporting:
Jake Berry has turned down a move to the Foreign Office, which would apparently have involved the loss of his present right to attend Cabinet – see above, where he refers to the family commitments that arise from having three young children under three. He is one of the former backbench band of Johnson True Believers.
Paul Scully moves to become an Under-Secretary of State for Business; he keeps responsibility for London as this spring’s Mayoral election approaches.
James Duddridge is back in government, at the same level, at the Foreign Office and International Development. He was at the time of the EU referendum the sole pro-Leave Minister in the former department.
– – –
20.00
Appointments coming thick and fast now.
Stuart Andrew becomes Deputy Chief Whip.
Marcus Jones is back in government as a senior whip.
Brexiteering Simon Clarke promoted to be Minister of State at HCLG.
Michelle Donelan up a rank to Minister of State at Education.
Caroline Dinenage not up but sideways to DCMS (as a Minister of State).
The able and combative Greg Hands is back in government in his old department at Trade.
Chris Philp from Justice to the Home Office as an Under-Secretary.
Kemi Badenoch from Education to the Treasury at the same level.
Kelly Tolhurst from Business to Transport at the same level.
Wendy Morton from Justice to the Foreign Office & Dfid.
19.00
Amanda Milling, the new Party Chairman, is a long-time Johnson backer and a very senior Whip indeed, until today (Deputy). That’s an irresistable combination for promotion under this dispensation. Downing Street now has one Co-Party Chairman who will work seamlessly with the other: Ben Elliott. Her presence also helps it to meet its commitment, made yesterday, of keeping the number of women who sit around the Cabinet table at least constant.
Zac Goldsmith to be a Minister covering three departments in the Lords: Foreign Office, DfID and Defra.
Nigel Adams to cover the first two of those Departments from the Commons (with Cleverly).
18.30
ConHome is told that while Gove won’t be running an enlarged Prime Minister’s Office, he will, with Dowden’s departure from the Cabinet Office, be taking on the latter’s responsibilities. Within that office, Chloe Smith will continue to have responsibilities for the constitution – the Daily Telegraph recently reported that she is now seen within government as an expert on it – but Gove will also hold them at his higher level. We recommended that he do so in the wake of December’s election: “the obvious move is to make him Secretary of State for the Constitution, leading the media fightback against the SNP, forming policy for the UK as a whole and perhaps continuing working out of the Cabinet Office.”
Like Mordaunt, Brokenshire gets another bite at the Ministerial cherry, returning to the Home Office.
Quin is another Whips Office graduate and well suited in due course to a Trade or Treasury role. Whateley is poised to grapple with social care, and looks earmarked for Cabinet in the future. Walker is spoken of as an unflappable Minister with a solid grasp of his brief.
17.30
There is a mass of less senior appointments coming in.
James Cleverly is off to the Foreign Office as a Minister of State with a characteristically stylish tweet. It doesn’t looks as though he will continue to attend Cabinet. He will also be a DfID Minister – but that’s a continuation of present practice, not part of a radical restructuring.
Javid has emerged to make a statement about his departure. “I don’t believe any self-respecting Minister would accept such conditions”
Penny Mordaunt is back but not at full Cabinet level: she becomes Paymaster General.
Amanda Milling, former Deputy Chief Whip, is to be Minister without Portfolio and a Cabinet member.
Mark Spencer remains Chief Whip.
Chris Pincher, a former Deputy Chief Whip, to Housing (yet another change in the post).
Andrew Stephenson, another former senior Whip, to Transport. Never mind who the Prime Minister is: whips flourish like green bay trees.
And please note: Ben Wallace endures at Defence.
16.00
Tory backbenchers and Johnny Mercer have a view on legacy issues and veterans. Sinn Fein and Irish nationalists another. The DUP has its own take. And now we have Ireland’s election result, plus the rumpus over Julian Smith’s sacking.
So no pressure for the genial Lewis – who defies predictions that he would be sacked today, not promoted. His present use as a go-to man for media interviews was always likely be a better indicator of his future than his past clash with Johnson over anti-Muslim hatred.
Steve Barclay slots into the vacant Chief Secretary post. (At one stage, he was a pro-Leave Minister working at the Treasury Minister under Philip Hammond; and before that, the only pro-Brexit MP in the Whip’s Office. So he’s up for a challenge.
And Jacob-Rees Mogg survives that Grenfell quote to stay on as Leader of the House.
15.00
Watch out, Lady Hale – and your like. Braverman is coming for you. Here she is on ConHome less than a month ago : “Our Parliament must retrieve power ceded to another place – the courts. For too long, the Diceyan notion of parliamentary supremacy has come under threat.” Johnson/Cummings is limbering up for major constitutional change: a rebalancing of the relationship between Parliament and the Courts, presumably after the Constitution, Democracy and Rights Commission has reported.
The clear-out of SpAds continues. Peter Cardwell, Robert Buckland’s media SpAd, who formerly did the same job for James Brokenshire, is going. (And unlike the Chancellor, the Justice Secretary is staying.)
And George Eustice goes to Defra. It’s yet another reshuffle story success for the Times but, more importantly, an important signal in the policy balance between environmentalists and farmers. A source tells ConHome: “Zac would have been a full-on green appointment. The Chief Whip a full-on NFU appointment. Eustice strikes a balance.” Our take is that the moderate Eustice, a farmer, a one-time pro-EEA Leaver and yet another Minister who quit over Brexit, signals a tilt towards protection in the overall protection-free trade policy balance.
14.00
Anne-Marie Trevelyan – Defence Minister, one-time resigner over Brexit and former Vote Leaver – becomes International Development Secretary (again as tweeted yesterday by the Times).
Suella Braverman is in Downing Street.
Liz Truss survives at Trade, as foreshadowed by the Prime Minister name-checking her frequently during a speech last week, and Matt Hancock stays at Health.
And in the least surprising promotion of the shuffle, Oliver Dowden joins the other two legs of a pro-Johnson stool (Sunak and Robert Jenrick) as a full member of the Cabinet, becoming Culture Secretary.
13.00
As The Times tweeted yesterday evening , Alok Sharma is appointed Business Secretary. This is a big promotion for the former International Development Secretary, who is rated in Downing Street as a purposeful, non self-promoting and bright loyalist. To him will now fall the responsibility of charting a course for Government business and science policy post-Brexit.
The Javid SpAd row seems to have been linked to plans for an expanded Number Ten operation – i.e: a bigger Prime Minister’s department (with Michael Gove at the wheel). Javid will have seen what this meant for his own team, and recalled the rate of his former SpAd Sonia Khan – fired by Cummings last year, in a precursor to today’s events. He was clearly unwilling to live with the nickname “Chino” – Chancellor in Name Only.
12.00
We warned on Monday morning as follows: “There is a question mark over Javid’s future. Relations between some of his Special Advisers and some in Number Ten are poisonous. The Chancellor has already seen one of his SpAds fired (Sonia Khan). The Prime Minister may push to dismiss at least two more – Mats Person and Sam Coates. Which Javid would resist. This one may not end well.” And it hasn’t.
To say that this development throws the shuffle off course is a statement of the obvious. Rishi Sunak to the Treasury and a new Chief Secretary to replace him?
This is a competence-and-loyalty clash in spades. The relationship in question isn’t so much that between Johnson and Javid as between Downing Street, for which read Cummings, and the Chancellor’s team, for which read his SpAds above (and others). The briefing and sniping were mutually poisonous. The Prime Minister has a comfortable majority and no real Opposition from Labour. And his most strident Tory critics left the Commons in December: Hammond, Gauke, Stewart, Rudd. But now there is a new potential leader of the internal opposition: Javid.
11.30 am
Some of the commentary on Smith’s sacking is over-stressing policy factors (the “legacy issues”) at the expense of personal ones.
The main lesson of his firing is: this is shaping up to be the Loyalty Shuffle. Smith was seen to be briefing against Johnson and his Brexit policy pre-election. Leadsom is a former leadership rival. Cox was felt to be not fully on board. Ghani was a Hunt supporter last year.
Competence is important to Number Ten – which is why Sharma, Dowden and Trevelyan are set to be promoted. But it must come with a personal commitment to the Prime Minister.
And loyalty is not enough on its own. Like Johnson, Villiers is one of the original senior Vote Leavers. But Downing Street sources claim that she “needed to have her hand held” and, while not wanting Ministers to grandstand in the media, say that she took the opposite to an extreme.
There’s no suggestion that Skidmore isn’t competent, but his move suggests that Downing Street wants a new broom to deal with Universities and science policy, which is of special interest to Dominic Cummings.
Javid, Raab, Patel and Gove – the most senior four Ministers – are in Downing Street. None will move.
10.30am
Cox writes a farewell letter that balances i) making it clear that he hasn’t gone willingly with ii) statements of future loyalty and iii) a tribute to Brexit and Johnson’s leadership of the project.
Here’s a surprise. Nus Ghani, tipped for promotion as HS2 Minister, has been sacked. She was a Jeremy Hunt supporter in last year’s leadership election.
Michael Ellis, the Solicitor-General, is taking Commons questions in the absence of an Attorney-General.
George Freeman, with his puppyish energy and passion for ideas, is out from the Transport Department. “On my bike,” he tweets.
A former Minister in that department, currently at the Treasury, was sworn into the Privy Council yesterday. Is a promotion coming today for Jesse Norman?
10am
Leadsom is out – she praises her team, “ looks forwards to focusing on my constituents and on my 20+ year campaign to see every baby get the best start in life” – and takes a parting shot at the Prime Minister over gender equality
So is McVey – who makes no pretence about going willingly: “ I’m very sorry to be relieved of my duties as Housing Minister.”
And so is Chris Skidmore, the Universities Minister, who departs with aplomb.
If the number of women in and attending Cabinet is to remain constant, as Number Ten was briefing yesterday, that means three more will later be promoted to it – if Villiers has indeed gone too.
Cox is out – and questions to the Attorney-General will take place in the Commons Chamber in less than half and hour. Who will be at the despatch box on the Government’s behalf?
The Prime Minister has left the building – the Palace of Westminster, that is. He’s gone by car to Downing Street. The sackings are over and the promotions are set to begin.
Wednesday February 12
9am
Paul Goodman reporting:
The stage is set. The Prime Minister has been meeting Ministers to sack them in his Commons office. He will move to Downing Street mid-morning. He will promote and appoint other Ministers from there: these will walk into Number Ten in front of the cameras. Repeat until close of play late this afternoon.
Julian Smith is sacked.
Geoffrey Cox, Andrea Leadsom and Theresa Villiers are also reported to have gone in to Johnson’s office – which would means that they will all be fired too.
There is a row about whether Smith kept Downing Street informed of his approach to the treatment of Northern Ireland veterans. Sources there claim he didn’t keep them in the loop; he says that he did. But this dismissal is ultimately about loyalty to Johnson: the Cummings group within Number Ten, and not least the Prime Minister himself, believe that Smith worked and briefed against the Brexit policy pre-election.
What does Smith’s sacking mean for the veterans policy itself? Some will see it as a signal that Johnson is prepared to row back from the settlement announced in January on the so-called “legacy” issues. This is always a flammable issue – especially given support for veterans in the Commons, the views of Northern Ireland Unionists and the stance of Sinn Fein, now the biggest party in the Dail following Ireland’s election.
– – –
Wednesday February 12
23.00
Paul Goodman reporting:


conservativehome--2020-02-16--WATCH: “I stick by our spending plans from our 2019 Manifesto” – Long-Bailey

Labour leadership candidate Rebecca Long-Bailey tells # Marr she ’ s committed to the same levels of spending as the @ @ @ @ @

Labour leadership candidate Rebecca Long-Bailey tells #Marr she’s committed to the same levels of spending as the 2019 manifestohttps://t.co/8S7xgPwpcC pic.twitter.com/1Yt3xlgbU0
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) February 16, 2020


conservativehome--2020-02-16--WATCH: Rayner warns of Labour “factionalism”

“ I think there has been a factionalism ” Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner says Labour must now “ broaden @ @ @ @ @ the party get back into government https : //t.co/BB0aKke5uW # marr pic.twitter.com/nspLCt8XP2

“I think there has been a factionalism”
Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner says Labour must now “broaden our base” to help the party get back into government https://t.co/BB0aKke5uW #marr pic.twitter.com/nspLCt8XP2
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) February 16, 2020


conservativehome--2020-02-16--WATCH: “HS2 only takes about four per cent each year of the capital budget” – Shapps

“ You can read that [ manifesto ] and you can take it to the bank ” Transport Secretary Grant @ @ @ @ @ the government absolutely intends to stick to its fiscal commitments # Marr https : //t.co/Xzj3Nv4oim @

“You can read that [manifesto] and you can take it to the bank”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirms to #Marr the government absolutely intends to stick to its fiscal commitments#Marr https://t.co/Xzj3Nv4oim pic.twitter.com/tqWsyoUsjK
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) February 16, 2020


conservativehome--2020-02-16--WATCH: Street demands more transport investment for West Midlands and help developing brownfield sit

WATCH: Street demands more transport investment for West Midlands and help developing brownfield sites

`` We basically want the same sort of connectivity you have in London , putting it very bluntly '' West @ @ @ @ @ what he 'd like to see in the budget .

"We basically want the same sort of connectivity you have in London, putting it very bluntly"
West Midlands Mayor @andy4wm reveals what he'd like to see in the budget.
Follow #Ridge here: https://t.co/XZqrLOHSy4 pic.twitter.com/7LqrrVCQHd
— Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) February 16, 2020


conservativehome--2020-02-16--WATCH: “It’s not the end for Corbyn” – Burgon

`` It 's not the end for Jeremy Corbyn '' Labour deputy leadership candidate @ RichardBurgon says `` whatever Jeremy @ @ @ @ @ 's got a big contribution to make to our party '' .

"It's not the end for Jeremy Corbyn"
Labour deputy leadership candidate @RichardBurgon says "whatever Jeremy wants to do, he's got a big contribution to make to our party".
Follow #Ridge here: https://t.co/XZqrLOHSy4 pic.twitter.com/klIsN1r5nu
— Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) February 16, 2020