More reshuffle news

The reshuffle rumours keep flooding in.  Iain Dale’s list has Theresa May going to shadow work and pensions; Caroline Spelman to Local Government, Nick Herbert to Environment; Dominic Grieve to Justice; Chris Grayling to Home; and Alan Duncan as shadow leader of the Commons.  So far, May, Grayling, Herbert and Duncan have been confirmed.  Spelman and Grieve match with what we’re hearing in Coffee House Towers.

To my mind, it’s mixture of good and bad.  Grayling’s one of the Tories’ best attacks dogs and should bring a bit of Davis-style punchiness to the shadow Home Secretary role.  But Nick Herbert’s paticular talents seem wasted on the Environment brief – he’s great on police, prisons, that kind of thing – although he’ll certainly be trouble for Hillary Benn.  As for Theresa May, I’m sceptical about whether she can match up to James Purnell and the Government’s strong welfare reform package.  Andrew Mitchell would have been a more natural fit, but word is that he won’t give his directorships.