Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party.

[Typhoon]

Therese Coffey gets DEFRA, Mel Stride gets DWP, Steve Barclay gets Health and Gillian Keegan gets Education.

With Stride, Barclay and Gove (at Levelling-Up) at least he has appointed three ministers who are competent.

 

[Thirteen]

With Stride, Barclay and Gove (at Levelling-Up) at least he has appointed three ministers who are competent.

Some may not like Gove and Hunt but they are very good at what they do.

Donnelan and Badenoch are staying put so business as usual for their briefs.

 

[adc82140]

Braverman (in my opinion) is a vile person. Some extremely dangerous views & aspirations.

It's in the job description for Home Secretary isn't it?

 

[najaB]

I would say it had next to no influence at all. There are many things you can legitimately criticise the Tory party and Tory party members for, but in my experience, one thing much in their favour is that, generally speaking, they don't give a monkeys what colour skin you have - they care only about whether you are going to implement the policies they want.

People who claim to speak for the 'average Tory party member' might disagree:

 

[Thirteen]

I always get the feeling that Tory MPs are a bit embarrassed by the Party Members but I suppose that is also true for Labour as well.

 

[baz962]

I keep meaning to ask and keep forgetting. What the heck is a minister without portfolio.

 

[jon0844]

I find it fascinating that the Tories have managed to have three female PMs and the first non white PM whereas Labour hasn't even had a female Opposition Leader.

Not quite so good when they only last 15 minutes though. Thatcher obviously excepted.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

What is more objective is that this morning Sunak spoke about integrity, and hours later reappointed Braverman five days after she admitted breaching the ministerial code. Perhaps his very expensive education didn't teach him what integrity actually
means?

It was a pretty minor breach. Assuming it was genuinely accidental, it appears to be the sort of thing that could easily be the result of a moment's thoughtlessness/mis-clicking, and she did not at any point try to cover it up. Hardly the sort of thing that ought to end a ministerial career. I really don't see any grounds for saying that reappointing her lacks integrity. (Obviously you may well strongly disagree with her political views, but that's a completely different issue).

 

[Thirteen]

It was a pretty minor breach. Assuming it was genuinely accidental, it appears to be the sort of thing that could easily be the result of a moment's thoughtlessness/mis-clicking, and she did not at any point try to cover it up. Hardly the sort of thing that ought to end a ministerial career. I really don't see any grounds for saying that reappointing her lacks integrity. (Obviously you may well strongly disagree with her political views, but that's a completely different issue).

As I've mentioned, the fact she reported herself did make me think she was sabotaging Truss with the stinging resignation letter. Minor breaches tend to be slaps on the wrist.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Appointing Cruella was a bizarre move when all the others made sense (in the background of it being a Tory Government, the question of whether Labour would be preferable is separate). I wonder will she last?

Ignoring the silly insulting nickname, it possibly makes sense if you see it in a context of, wanting to ensure the cabinet contains a range of views across the entire party, rather than simply being the band of followers that Boris and Truss tended to prefer.

Whatever you might think of Suella's political views, she does seem to come across as the kind of person who will bluntly tell Sunak/other colleagues if she thinks he's screwing something up, and you do arguably need people like that in the Government.

 

[MikeWM]

Some may not like Gove and Hunt but they are very good at what they do.

Donnelan and Badenoch are staying put so business as usual for their briefs.

Gove, I agree, I don't like him much but he's a very competent minister, probably the best the Tories have.

But Hunt? He was a total disaster as health secretary, and has done little else of note - other than break money laundering laws in 2018, as I posted in the previous thread last week, which is hardly a sign of competence either.

 

[Thirteen]

I think having Hunt and Gove in the Cabinet will mean the others will have to button down a bit.

 

[takno]

Ignoring the silly insulting nickname, it possibly makes sense if you see it in a context of, wanting to ensure the cabinet contains a range of views across the entire party, rather than simply being the band of followers that Boris and Truss tended to prefer.

Whatever you might think of Suella's political views, she does seem to come across as the kind of person who will bluntly tell Sunak/other colleagues if she thinks he's screwing something up, and you do arguably need people like that in the Government.

Will she ever actually be right when she thinks he's screwing something up? I mean Katie Holmes wouldn't be scared to speak her mind, but that wouldn't make her a useful addition to the cabinet.

More importantly though, her most extreme views seem to be the very ones which will allow her to do most damage as home secretary. Ultimately he's probably going to have to sack her again, and when he does he's going to look like a terrible idiot

 

[Thirteen]

Am I the only one who thinks it's strange that the Transport Secretary Appointment is still TBA?

 

[takno]

Am I the only one who thinks it's strange that the Transport Secretary Appointment is still TBA?

Probably struggling to find somebody who wants it, or has forgotten it exists. It's not a role that most people see as particularly important unfortunately

 

[Thirteen]

Probably struggling to find somebody who wants it, or has forgotten it exists. It's not a role that most people see as particularly important unfortunately

I think keeping the current Transport Secretary is starting to look likely.

 

[Acfb]

I find it fascinating that the Tories have managed to have three female PMs and the first non white PM whereas Labour hasn't even had a female Opposition Leader aside from temporary ones like Margaret Beckett and Harriet Harman. It does make me wonder if Starmer were to stand down, if they'd go for someone who's the polar opposite of Sunak like Angela Rayner or Lisa Nandy.

I think Bridget Phillipson is plausible (also an Oxford graduate) and is only 38, after Starmer stands down.

 

[Cloud Strife]

I keep meaning to ask and keep forgetting. What the heck is a minister without portfolio.

They attend Cabinet, but they don't have a formal role.

It's often used as a way of getting someone into Cabinet (and to take part in discussions) without them being a formal part of the government. In recent years, it's been usually used to get the Chair of the ruling party into Cabinet, although there was a point between 1970-1974 when a Northern Irish Unionist was given the position to make sure that NI was represented within the government alongside the Scottish and Welsh Secretaries.

 

[birchesgreen]

I find it fascinating that the Tories have managed to have three female PMs and the first non white PM

Only one of them has won an election. Theresa May at best got a score draw.

 

[nw1]

Suella back as Home Secretary, must be the shortest time between resigning and coming back which makes me wonder if was planned.

Oh for heaven's sake. Why? Is it really appropriate to have someone who rants on about "wokeism" and "tofu-eating Guardian readers" in Parliament? She isn't fit to be a backbench MP, let alone a member of government.

Imagine we had a Labour Home Secretary ranting on with similar stereotypes about, say, "Sun" or "Mail" readers while in Parliament.

It just shows Sunak is an enabler of reactionary right-wing politics and this government is nothing new. Just the same old right-wing rubbish we've endured since summer 2019.

Shapps at BEIS seems a bit of a demotion. Will be interesting who gets Education and Health.

Should have kept Shapps as Home Secretary. I mean, I'm no fan of his but at least he isn't a foaming-at-the-mouth reactionary.

 

[Typhoon]

Some may not like Gove ...

That includes me but, particularly of late, cabinets have been filled with the incompetent, so any sign that a PM is appointing on ability is always a plus. In this case, at least some have been.

The most comforting thing about Braverman's appointment is that Home Secretary is usually the pinnacle of a politician's career and most (particularly Conservative ones) are judged to have failed.

 

[Cloud Strife]

It just shows Sunak is an enabler of reactionary right-wing politics and this government is nothing new. Just the same old right-wing rubbish we've endured since summer 2019.

I'd suggest that this is a concession to the hard right of the party. Getting rid of Rees-Mogg was vital, but he would have needed to give at least one concession to the hard right types.

The most comforting thing about Braverman's appointment is that Home Secretary is usually the pinnacle of a politician's career and most (particularly Conservative ones) are judged to have failed.

She'll be yet another failure.

 

[nw1]

I'd suggest that this is a concession to the hard right of the party. Getting rid of Rees-Mogg was vital, but he would have needed to give at least one concession to the hard right types.

Maybe but Home Secretary is scarcely an appropriate post. What you don't want is a reactionary, right-wing authoritarian as Home Secretary unless you want to completely alienate sizeable part of the population, but sadly, except for a brief period in the past week, that's what we've had for more than three years.

 

[takno]

I'd suggest that this is a concession to the hard right of the party. Getting rid of Rees-Mogg was vital, but he would have needed to give at least one concession to the hard right types

I thought we'd mostly been shoving the hopeless right wingers in as foreign secretary of late. Home Secretary is literally the place they can do most damage. It absolutely screams of Sunak being a leader who isn't interested in anything outside the finance sphere, and who can't be bothered to pay attention to people who are.

 

[nw1]

Ignoring the silly insulting nickname, it possibly makes sense if you see it in a context of, wanting to ensure the cabinet contains a range of views across the entire party, rather than simply being the band of followers that Boris and Truss tended to prefer.

So it's not OK to call her Cruella on an internet forum but it is OK for her to rant on about tofu-eating Guardian readers in parliament?

 

[Snow1964]

I think keeping the current Transport Secretary is starting to look likely.

Just published, a list of ministers, but no Transport Secretary

Ministerial Appointments: October - November 2022

The King has been pleased to approve the following appointments.

www.gov.uk

 

[WizCastro197]

Believe me or not ,I don’t care, my family has been friends with the Sunaks since the early 70s so his Grandfather is very happy to see him in the role with him being in his 90s now.


I am a little disappointed that he appointed most of Bojos cabinet. Glad Mordaunt kept her position, she does seem like she does have a bright future and she is probably the one I don’t hate the most.



Bravermans tofu comment was completely unacceptable, but I guess she knew she was going to resign later anyway even with a very minor offence just like when Patel told opposition to Shut Up.

 

[duncanp]

Just published, a list of ministers, but no Transport Secretary

Ministerial Appointments: October - November 2022

The King has been pleased to approve the following appointments.

www.gov.uk

Not true.

Mark Harper MP is the new Transport Secretary - it is right at the bottom of the list.

 

[Thirteen]

Mark Harper served in the Cameron Government and briefly the May Government but not the Johnson Government so quite a big promotion.

 

[camflyer]

Just published, a list of ministers, but no Transport Secretary

Ministerial Appointments: October - November 2022

The King has been pleased to approve the following appointments.

www.gov.uk

Mark Harper just announced

https://twitter.com/10DowningStreet/status/1584978439286980609