Brexit Day 21: 'The posh boys have gone. It’s over’
Under new management: the May Government
Theresa May has torn up Cameron’s cabinet. I’ve mentioned over the last few days that no one really knew what May would do. For the lobby and punditry this has been an excruciating but exciting experience. Now we have the facts!
There’s so much to write about I don’t know where to start. Actually, that’s not true. I do:
- Boris!: The moment he was appointed Foreign Secretary it became clear that May was going to break with the past bigly. I will leave others to wail and gnash teeth over the wisdom (or otherwise) of this choice. Let’s step back and think about why May has taken a risk and given this great office of state to Boris. Firstly, he is the biggest of the Leave beasts. There can be no whinging about lack of Leave representation in this cabinet. Second, he is now completely bound into achieving and selling whatever deal the UK gets with the EU to the British public. Third, this is a big and extremely serious job that will keep him very busy and out on the road. Fourth, Boris is incontrovertibly a global celebrity – he’s already on the map. Cripes.
- Treasury: Philip Hammond got the job we thought he would. Pragmatic, clear thinking and straight-dealing – a steady hand on the economic tiller. Will have to help deliver Theresa May’s ambitions for a reformed society on a limited budget. Key question is the extent to which the government will be willing to borrow money (very cheaply) to fund investment. The Autumn Statement is not a million miles off. Long-serving Tax minister David Gauke, jumps up to the Chief Secretary position.
- Rudd to the Home Office: A step up to the Premier League for Amber Rudd. A mark of Theresa May’s trust in her that she has handed her former portfolio to the heavily remain leaning MP for Hastings and Rye. She’s been an MP for just 6 years – this is an awesome climb to power. Not an easy brief to hold on to.
- Evisceration of the Cameroons: Osbo, Gove, Morgan, Letwin, Crabb, Boles all out. I thought Osborne might make it through in some capacity – but that was naive. He is unceremoniously dumped onto the backbenches. Brutal. Nadine Dorries – the Katie Hopkins of the Conservative party – cannot contain her glee. ‘The posh boys have gone. It’s over’ she tweeted.
- Returning from the wilderness: David Davis and Liam Fox, two unbiddable beasts from the right of the party get two huge jobs - taking us out of Europe and selling the UK to the rest of the world respectively. A man management challenge if ever there was one. Just how unbiddable? Well David Davis and Labour MP Tom Watson broughtjudicial review against the former home secretary over Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act last year.
- May’s cronies: Her ministers in the Home Office are promoted to Cabinet - James Brokenshire to NI, Damian Green to DWP and Karen Bradley to DCMS. A clear message that loyalty is rewarded.
- Grayling’s reward: May’s campaign manager is a well-known bruiser and committed Leaver. Some might argue that this job is not as big as expected. I disagree. Transport could end up being a major focus of the May government – HS2, London Airports and regional connections all crucial to the competitiveness of the UK. Remember Justine Greening – in cabinet - has said she would resign if it’s Heathrow.
- The return of the industrial strategy: Greg Clark, widely regarded as an able and extremely bright minister gets the job of trying to succeed where so many have failed – delivering an industrial strategy. He gets a new department that brings together industry and energy. His full title is Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
- Survivors and thrivers: Sajid Javid to Communities, Liz Truss to Justice, Greening to Education and Women and Equalities. David Mundell remains as Scotland Sec and Alun Cairns for SoS for Wales. Cool, calm, long-standing Europe Minister David Lidington is promoted to Leader of the House of Commons. Michael Fallon stays put at Defence – with Trident to deal with. Gavin Williamson, Cameron’s PPS goes to Chief Whip.
- Party machine: Patrick McLoughlin is party chair. The well-liked former miner will presumably have to rebuild bridges between central office and local associations which became strained under Cameroon appointment Lord Feldman. He has spent many years in the Whips Office and so probably knows where the bodies are buried. Gavin Williamson, Cameron’s former PPS is appointed chief whip – the link man between the Parliamentary party and No 10 and responsible for keeping that small majority in line.
- Theresa May’s secret sense of humour: Leadsom goes to DEFRA. Will have to deal with the agri-lobby - with the UK leaving the CAP and having to do trade deals that’s not my idea of fun. Priti Patel goes to International Development. Priti Patel has sort of called for DFID to be scrapped. Telegraph’s Asa Bennett is all over it:
Headline statistics: May has appointed eight women out of twenty-three Cabinet ministers, one more than former Prime Minister David Cameron. There are also seven ministers who campaigned for Leave in the Cabinet.
Initial questions:
- How long will this fascinating cabinet hold together? Cameron avoided reshuffling wherever possible. Will May follow the same pattern? Will she be able to?
- Three of May’s key appointments – Johnson, Davis and Fox are mavericks not known for following orders. And they’ve all got huge jobs making Brexit work. Interesting to see how they get along!
- The leave/remain split dynamic will be interesting – the remainers are largely steady folks running the domestic agenda, the leavers more spiky and impulsive running the UK’s relationship with the world beyond.
- What happens in the junior ranks – could be a big shake up there too…
Boris Johnson: the unlikely diplomat
Lots of media chat about how the State Department are unhappy about Boris. The French foreign minister called him a liar. The Germans are either laughing or fulminating depending on who you speak to. The Independent has a map of the number of countries Johnson has offended here. And of course there’s a characteristically wry despatch dug up from the US diplomatic cables archive. (State has some seriously good writers in it)
But enough of the cant. The only measure of Boris Johnson is how he performs in office. This is his moment – will he rise to it?
PS Boris Johnson speaks multiple languages (including, Russian – I think - and French as well as ancient Latin and Greek).
Leadsom’s withdrawal: the inside story
Graham Brady, Chairman of the 1922 committee and returning officer for the Leadership contest, tells of the sequence of events leading up to and following Andrea Leadsom dramatically pulling out of the leadership contest. Interesting payoff at the end of the article: “I think our [leadership election] rules (drafted in opposition) need re-visiting to meet the needs of a party in government….but maybe we aren’t so badly off after all”
Labour leadership
A well connected Labour reader thinks that Corbyn has made a big error in not being on top of the details of the membership eligibility.
Labour list has published the timeline for the membership contest which is long and winding. If all goes to plan a Special conference to announce results will take place on 24 September, a day before the party conference is due to take place.
Michael Foster, a Labour donor is to launch a legal challenge to the NEC’s ruling on the Corbyn ballot. The BBC reports that ‘Mr Foster said three contrasting pieces of advice had been given by three different lawyers, and the matter must be considered by a neutral court of law’.
Companies and Markets
The Bank held interest rates unexpectedly causing a surge in the pound.
Web celeb: Theresa May joins Twitter
Our digital team pulled out some stats on follower growth or Theresa May since she joined Twitter. Imagine that number will be growing in the coming days.
Note this is Theresa May NOT Teresa May - the latter is a glamour model:
Tweets of the Day
Weird fact 29 - Richard Madeley went to school with Philip Hammond