Portrait of the week | 6 September 2012

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David Cameron, the Prime Minister, shuffled the Cabinet a little, with Sir George Young being replaced as Leader of the House by Andrew Lansley, who was replaced as Health Secretary by Jeremy Hunt, who was replaced as Culture Secretary by Maria Miller. Justine Greening was replaced as Transport Secretary by Patrick McLoughlin, who was replaced as Chief Whip by Andrew Mitchell, who was replaced as International Development Secretary by Justine Greening, whose move, according to Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, showed that the government wanted to ‘ditch its promises and send yet more planes over central London’. Caroline Spelman was replaced as Environment Secretary by Owen Paterson, who was replaced as Northern Ireland Secretary by Theresa Villiers. Grant Shapps ousted Lady Warsi as Conservative Party chairman, who, despite her pleas, was shuffled off with a ministry for faith and communities and a ministerial post in the Foreign Office. David Laws, the Liberal Democrat, was brought back as an education minister. Kenneth Clarke became a Cabinet minister without portfolio, being replaced as Justice Secretary (and Lord Chancellor) by Chris Grayling, said to be the first non-lawyer as Lord Chancellor since Nicholas Heath was deprived of office in 1558.

The government announced an Economic Development Bill, to update the recent National Planning Policy Framework, and an Infrastructure Bill to underwrite £40 billion of construction projects. London Metropolitan University launched legal action over a ban by the UK Border Agency on its recruiting overseas students. Michael Gove, who remained Education Secretary, said that he would bring in a Bill to replace GCSEs with a more rigorous examination. Barclays appointed Antony Jenkins as its chief executive in the place of Bob Diamond. Belfast saw three night of riots in which loyalists threw petrol bombs, bricks, fireworks and stones at police.