Reshuffle delay leaves Tories dwelling on many reasons to be cheerful

David Cameron has decided to delay his mini-reshuffle until the autumn. He had been planning to have it this week, and as we reported last week, rumours were circulating about who was vulnerable. But it is sensible to delay. The party is in a serene mood currently. Sacking good ministers and failing to promote equally good backbenchers again will cause strife, and the party management machine will struggle to keep tabs on the really hurt members over the summer. Better to send everyone back to their constituencies in a good mood that will rouse the grassroots a little, rather than brooding about what they perceive to be poor treatment.

There are many reasons to be cheerful at the moment if you’re a Conservative MP. Abu Qatada has gone, unemployment was revealed today to have fallen again, the economy appears to be on the mend (although yesterday’s inflation figures and today’s confirmation from the ONS that pay increased by 1 per cent over the past year remind us that voters may not agree that it feels as though things are picking up), Labour’s poll lead is looking shaky even if you discount yesterday’s shock ICM result, and #letbritaindecide fever returns today, with James Wharton’s Private Member’s Bill entering committee stage in the House of Commons.