A report on Politics Home has sparked off speculation here in Manchester that Brown will reshuffle his Cabinet before the end of this week. It is easy to see why this might appeal to the Brownites; the rebels are still not sure what to do next, David Miliband can’t decide whether to go for it or not and Brown’s authority is getting a temporary boost from conference. But this option is fraught with risk. First, there is the danger that a Minister might simply refuse to move—one has let it be known that he would walk rather relinquish his current job. Second, for any reshuffle to actually do anything for the government’s fortunes in the medium term it would have to move around the people in the top three jobs. Doing that, though, could bring down Brown.
If Brown moved Darling he would render absurd his argument that you can’t change the leader during a time of economic crisis. Short of Chancellor, it is hard to see what job Miliband would take: the Home Office is a far less powerful department having lost half of its duties with the creation of the Ministry of Justice. Also Jacqui Smith, a former chief whip, is not someone that Brown wants to alienate right now.
The final problem with reshuffling so soon is that Brown might keep or promote a Minister only for them to resign after Glenrothes. Then again, as someone said to me earlier this evening, there are no good options for Brown right now.
PS Do read Iain Martin on the ‘nuclear option’ of making Balls Chancellor.
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