On Monday morning, Theresa May’s reshuffle looked as though it was shaping up to be the day of the blunt knives. Some clumsy social media use saw CCHQ falsely crown Chris Grayling as the new Conservative Party Chairman – before it was announced as Brandon Lewis. Since then, things have slowed down considerably.
As the day wore on, ‘the Cabinet reshuffle that wasn’t’ appeared a more fitting description. Despite briefings about ‘dead wood’ in the Cabinet, only a few ministers have changed brief – David Gauke has been appointed the new Justice Secretary and Karen Bradley Northern Ireland Secretary. What’s more, it’s hard to find anyone who has been unceremoniously sacked or demoted against their will. While Justine Greening was pushed out (after over two hours in Downing Street), she could have stayed had she taken a different brief. Several of the ministers No 10 tried to move – Jeremy Hunt and Greg Clark – are thought to have simply refused to do so.
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