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Ed Vaizey’s reshuffle lament

Although Theresa May’s reshuffle of junior ministers was less gaffe-prone than the main event on Monday, there’s a feeling in the party that overall it has been an underwhelming event. With little change in the top ranks of May’s Cabinet, critics have been quick to suggest that she is too weak to carry out a proper reshuffle.

But now there’s a new criticism being levied at the Prime Minister: too much change. Ed Vaizey – the former culture minister and resident Cameroon – took to social media on Tuesday to congratulate Michael Ellis on his appointment as the arts, heritage and tourism Minister. However, he went on to complain that the fact Ellis was the ‘third arts Minister in less than 18 months’ was ‘not so good’.

Vaizey went on to find – and retweet  – an individual complaining about the fast turnover ahead of a DCMS meeting:

Of course, Vaizey knows a thing about endurance in DCMS. The Conservative MP holds the record for being the longest serving arts minister in British political history. And who was it who brought his tenure to an abrupt end by giving him the sack? None other than Theresa May.

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