Politics

17 January 2009

Fraser Nelson reviews the week in politics

The irony is that, after all this terror, there may be no major reshuffle. Last weekend, Mr Cameron had still not decided whether to promote Mr Clarke or leave him to his golden-winged warblers. David Davis would only come back for a senior job, but none will be on offer. Andrew Lansley has been told he will stay at health, Mr Osborne as shadow chancellor and Dominic Grieve as shadow home secretary. The reshuffle speculation has grown out of all proportion to Mr Cameron’s self-restricted room for manoeuvre.

It is, of course, no bad thing to unnerve one’s party now and again, and remind them that, as one Cameroon puts it, ‘no one is untouchable’. It is healthy for the Tories to believe that Mr Cameron is ruthless enough to move anyone. But it is less healthy when shadow Cabinet members are reduced to showing off text messages Mr Cameron sent them, supposedly as proof that they will keep their job. This is why the reshuffle, minor or extensive, will likely come sooner rather than later. If the aim was to send his front bench a message about complacency, then Mr Cameron has succeeded all too well. The poor souls have suffered enough.