What does Gavin Williamson have to do before he is replaced?

All over the country, large numbers of businessmen are anxious. They do not know when – if ever – trading conditions will return to normal. So there is a squeeze on costs, a clampdown on inefficiency and – to use the euphemism – employees whose performance might have been acceptable in easier times are ‘let go.’ This is understandable. But there is an exception. In one very important enterprise, an employee who could never have made a worthwhile contribution somehow survives. What does Gavin Williamson have to do before he is replaced?

This is a man who can neither think in private nor perform in public. His response to any upcoming difficulty is simple: march straight into it. It would appear that he has never heard of evasive action, let alone subtlety and planning. So why does Boris keep him?

There are three possible explanations.