BORIS Johnson announced a reshuffle yesterday with some familiar faces changing briefs along with two new Cabinet debuts.
The reshuffle drew criticism for its lack of diversity, with all involved being white men.
Jacob Rees-Mogg
Jacob Rees-Mogg was demoted from his position as leader of the House of Commons to Minister for Brexit Opportunities. Rees-Mogg has been a longtime Johnson loyalist, so his demotion may raise further questions about the changes to Johnson’s inner circle. However, Rees-Mogg will continue to attend cabinet meetings.
Rees-Mogg's new role was created by Johnson in 2020 and covers responsibilities ranging from government efficiency to assessing economic opportunities of Brexit. However, the exact purpose of the role remains somewhat unclear as the UK Government website leaves the description of its responsibilities as blank.
Mark Spencer
Spencer, another devoted Johnson supporter, has been promoted to Leader of the House of Commons after serving as the chief whip since 2019. Spencer’s reliable fidelity to Johnson comes at the expense of a series of controversies, something Johnson has been familiar with in recent times.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, former Conservative minister Nusrat Ghani alleged that a Conservative MP told her that her “muslimness” had “made colleagues feel uncomfortable”. Spencer, while acknowledging that he was the subject of the allegation, denies this ever happened. He found further controversy after whipping the house to support disgraced Conservative MP Owen Patterson.
Chris Heaton-Harris
Heaton-Harris is a shadowy figure who has just taken his seventh ministerial role in six years. His new role as Chief Whip is his first in the Cabinet.
A fierce Brexiteer, Heaton-Harris is also no stranger to controversy. While a junior whip under Theresa May in 2017, he prompted accusations of McCarthyism after writing to English universities wanting to know what they were teaching about Brexit, along with a list of names of relevant teachers. Since then, he has moved through various roles from being a junior Brexit minister to a stint as Europe minister in the Foreign Office.
Michael Ellis
The least controversial appointment in the reshuffle, Michael Ellis is the new Minister for the Cabinet Office. Ellis has been paymaster general of the Conservative party since 2021, a role he will continue to hold alongside his new position. Amongst his responsibilities, he will be expected to assist the Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster, Steve Baker, as he has taken on the additional role of Johnson’s chief of staff.
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