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Home , 11 Downing Street, Alister Jack, Amanda Milling, Ben Wallace (politician), Esther McVey, George Eustice

CABINET RESHUFFLE Cummings and Goings

Boris Johnson has carried out his second reshuffle since entering 10 . Armed with an eighty-seat majority and having just ‘got done’ the Prime Minister sought to entrench his power by shaping his team around his agenda for government. Although the reshuffle was not as widespread as had been just after the election, he has stood down some senior figures and promoted those deemed reliable, loyal, and committed to the Government’s agenda.

The Prime Minister began his Thursday morning by relieving a handful of key ministers of their role to make way for a new cohort of ministers ready to implement a bold domestic agenda. Number Ten have been relatively open with their view that they will reward loyalty and competence and punish attempts to gain attention and divert from the Government’s priorities. This reshuffle was intended to set the tone for another decade in power for the Conservative Party and is designed to provide a pool of talent from which the Government can choose over the coming years.

In another widely-expected move, was Cabinet Sackings relieved of her duties as Secretary of State for the The first member of the Cabinet to lose his job was the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Whilst strongly pro- Northern Ireland Secretary, Julian Smith. Although he had Brexit it was thought that her initial reluctance to support appeared to have secured his position with the finalisation the Prime Minister’s revised deal contributed to a sense of an agreement to restore the power sharing executive at that she was not fully supportive of the Prime Minister and Stormont his relations with Number Ten have been difficult. his agenda. There are reports that he had not sought prior clearance for Esther McVey was the final Minister attending Cabinet to be elements of the deal he agreed in Northern Ireland from the sacked by the Prime Minister. Although not a full cabinet Prime Minister. level position, Housing Minister is an increasingly important Following him out of Government was , in a role and her sacking means that the trend of short-lived widely-trailed departure. Her sacking is thought to be the Housing Ministers continues. Like Leadsom, McVey entered result of her demanding high office in return for supporting the 2019 leadership contest but was eliminated at an early Johnson’s leadership campaign despite only achieving stage in the race. eleven votes herself in the first round. A demand that With the Cabinet dismissals completed, the Prime Minister appears to have annoyed the Prime Minister. summoned , the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In Geoffrey Cox was another high profile and anticipated what was the biggest news of the day, Javid resigned his departure. Despite being somewhat of a cult figure in parts position rather than accede to the demand to dismiss his of the Conservative Party due to his expressive and team of special advisers in order to establish a joint Number theatrical speaking style, it is this very trait that is reported 10/Number 11 team of aides. The alacrity of Sunak’s to have resulted in him falling out of favour with Number appointment as his successor suggests that Javid’s decision Ten. It is thought that this willingness to pontificate at had at least been considered a possibility. length in Cabinet combined with his very independent These Cabinet sackings are the result of a Downing Street approach is what sealed his fate. operation that is unforgiving to those it deems either incompetent or inconvenient. However, Javid’s resignation The Leader of the Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, has kept a implies a great deal more. With the former Chancellor out very low profile after some mistakes early in the General of Cabinet, the Prime Minister and his small circle of Election campaign. Whilst there were concerns over advisers have the opportunity to build a new system of whether he was consistent with the new and refreshed Government as it tries to merge the power and personnel of image the Government is trying to present, his command of the Treasury and Downing Street. parliamentary procedure is not in question. The role of Commons Leader also has a much lower profile under a majority government when compared to a hung parliament. Cabinet ‘Remainers’ Perhaps the target of the most aggressive briefings in Following the shock resignation of Sajid Javid as Chancellor, advance of yesterday’s events had been the Defence was appointed to succeed him. This represents a Secretary, . Despite rumours that he had fallen very large promotion indeed from his previous role of Chief out with the Prime Minister he is thought to have made his Secretary to the Treasury. Despite this being a huge leap in peace with those in Number Ten, including Dominic seniority and a budget being due within a month, Sunak has Cummings. Although he remains in post, it is likely that he the advantage of already serving in the Treasury. He is will adopt a slightly lower profile than previously and try and therefore likely to be across the policy detail. In contrast to align his efforts more closely with those of Number Ten. his predecessor, Sunak is viewed very much as a loyalist by Whilst these figures remaining in post could imply that the those in Number Ten including . It is this Prime Minister was not as brave as intended, it is important that explains his rapid climb up the ministerial ladder. Less to consider the activity of the last few weeks. By briefing than seven months ago he was Parliamentary Under- heavily that a number of ministers were going to be Secretary of State for Local Government. dismissed, the Number Ten operation have been able to was later promoted from Secretary of State for bring them into line behind the Prime Minister’s agenda. In International Development to Secretary of State for politics, there are few more effective incentives than Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Alongside this he ambition. will serve as president of COP26, overseeing the conference in Glasgow later this year. This is another large promotion and is likely due to Sharma’s approach of keeping a New Cabinet Appointments relatively low profile and getting on with the job at hand. In a promotion that had been briefed in advance, Anne- The summit later this year will however give him the Marie Trevelyan was promoted to Secretary of State for opportunity to establish a more prominent public profile. International Development from her previous position of After a brief hiatus following the abolition of the Armed Forces Minister. Like Sunak, Trevelyan is being Department for Exiting the , Steve Barclay rewarded for her loyalty to the Prime Minister with a rapid returns as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. He will be able to rise up the ministerial ladder; her first ministerial build on his experience as Economic Secretary to the appointment was as Minister for Defence procurement Treasury and will be responsible for controlling government when became Prime Minister in July 2019. spending. Although ostensibly a demotion he is likely to be In another widely-trailed move, was relieved to be back in Cabinet. appointed Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Whilst there were some interesting changes in Cabinet, Sport, replacing Baroness Morgan. Dowden was an early those who remained were almost as intriguing. As expected, supporter of Johnson’s leadership campaign and went to , and all remain in the following the latter’s election as Leader. post. Along with the newly-promoted Rishi Sunak, they are He will play a key role in upcoming debates over the BBC likely to form the core of this Government for some time to and the extent to which the Government should regulate come. Other anticipated retentions included , the internet. , , , Grant The highly-rated has become Attorney Shapps, Mark Spencer, , and Baroness General. A longstanding Eurosceptic, she was one of only a Evans. All are seen as broadly loyal and on board with the handful of Tory MPs to vote against ’s Government’s overall approach. Withdrawal Agreement on all three occasions. In addition to However, there were a number of ministers who had been serving as Chair of the , viewed as being vulnerable who ultimately remained in Braverman was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for post. These include who has been the target of Exiting the European Union during 2018. She is likely to take negative briefings in recent months. Nevertheless, it is a prominent role in the Government’s efforts to curtail what thought the Prime Minister values her enthusiasm for free it sees as the ‘judicialisation’ of politics. trade at a time when this area of policy requires a great deal of energy. The Work and Pensions Secretary, Thérèse Coffey had also been thought to be at risk but, having only been appointed in September, remains in post.

In an appointment not briefed until very late yesterday, Other notable appointments include as has been made Secretary of State for Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, viewed as a rising star Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, replacing Theresa and capable communicator. As further appointments at Villiers. This is a promotion from his previous role as , Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Minister of State within DEFRA, a role he also held for five and Parliamentary Private Secretary level take place over and a half years under and Theresa May. the next few hours it will be worth taking note of their Somewhat of a policy specialist, he is likely to be on top of names. The Government have made it clear that they intend his brief from the outset. to use these positions to cultivate a wider group of talent that the Conservative Party will be able to rely on over the Although he already attended Cabinet as Minister for coming years. Some of the figures being awarded junior Security, now takes on the full Cabinet role of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, replacing Julian positions could sit in Cabinet by the time of the next election. Smith. Although Smith broke the back of the political deadlock that has beset Northern Ireland for three years, the situation remains fragile, and Lewis’s personal and negotiating skills are likely to be put to the test. It remains The Shape of Government possible that intense political attention could return to the Briefings in advance of the reshuffle had varied from talk of province as the end of the transition period looms towards a ‘Valentine’s Day Massacre’ alongside a wide-ranging the end of the year. reshaping of Whitehall departments to other reports will attend Cabinet as Minister without suggesting a much more limited reshaping of government. Portfolio (Party Chairman) replacing who has The result itself sits somewhere between these two become Minister of State in the Foreign Office. A close extremes. The mooted Whitehall reorganisation favoured by friend of the Prime Minister, Milling served previously as Dominic Cummings appears to have been shelved for the Deputy and will want to use her time in the role time being, although this does remain a possibility at some of Party Chair to review the Party’s campaigning operation point early in this parliamentary term. and ensure that it builds on its recent gains. Yesterday proved unpredictable. Figures such as Liz Truss and Ben Wallace previously seen at risk were spared whilst Javid – seen as safe – chose to resign when faced with losing The Junior Ranks his closest advisers. Other such as Thérèse Coffey who were viewed as being at risk were also retained in Cabinet. As Although we are still awaiting the final composition of the new Government, there are a couple of interesting such, this was not the wide-ranging clear-out that some had predicted but it was also a clear attempt to refresh the top appointments such as that of as Paymaster echelons of Government. The appointment of Sunak as General. Based in the Cabinet Office, the job is normally not Chancellor is a particularly bold move. considered to be particularly influential. However, with Michael Gove’s portfolio expected to expand, it is possible Alongside Sunak’s appointment is the establishment of what that Mordaunt will have more a notable role than the title is being billed as joint No.10-No. of the job would imply. This would certainly explain her operation. This means that it will now much harder for the willingness to return to Government in a job not of Cabinet Treasury to establish a separate power base, as happened seniority. with the New Labour Government under and Other notable appointments include the return of James . This will make for a much more centralised operation at the centre of government. Brokenshire as Minister of State at the , the Department he served in under Theresa May. Other moves If there was a theme to this reshuffle, it was that those include James Cleverly to Minister of State at the Foreign deemed reliable and trustworthy were elevated whilst those and Commonwealth Office and the Department for seen at risk of undermining the Government’s agenda were International Development. – highly-regard side-lined. Alongside the change in Cabinet personnel by Number Ten – has been given the role of Minister of Dominic Cummings has further tightened his grip on State at the Department for Health and Social Care. Government special advisers. Whilst Javid resigned rather than dismiss his advisers, it can be assumed that other There is also a sense that the Prime Minister is rewarding Cabinet ministers have, to a degree, ceded control over who allies and supporters. The appointment of Simon Clarke as Minister of State for the Northern Powerhouse, replacing they employ as special advisers. This will reinforce the centralising move of uniting Number Ten and Number , another ally of the Prime Minister who decided Eleven and give much less leeway to Cabinet ministers to leave government rather than take a job in the Foreign seeking to build their own power bases. Office that would require regular travel; he has three children under the age of 3. Other Minister of State appointments include Chris Pincher as Housing Minister – a key role – and at the Foreign Office.

Conclusion This reshuffle was conducted with the next four and half years in mind. The Prime Minister is intent on cementing his position in Number Ten and developing a ‘pipeline’ of ministerial talent that will comprise the team that he presents to the country in 2024. Although the changes in Cabinet brought some interesting – and unexpected – moves, the appointments at Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister of State will be a more interesting indication of where he wants to take the party. It is likely that by the time of the next election some of these figures will be in Cabinet and entrusted with a prominent role in the campaign. The Prime Minister has made the most of his seemingly impregnable position and taken the opportunity to reshape his top team. His new Cabinet is fully aligned with the Government’s agenda and it is likely that we will see an even more unified front in the months ahead. However his sights are set much further into the future; this is part of an ongoing project to renew the Conservative Party in government and ensure that it stays in power for many years to come.

Tom Pridham Dan Patten Senior Consultant, Consultant, Public Affairs, Public Affairs, London +44 (0) 20 3319 5691 +44 (0) 20 3727 1786 [email protected] [email protected]

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