Hidden gems, hot prospects and old reliables: What should the next cabinet look like?
Boris should be under no illusion of the size of the challenge bequeathed to him.
Prime minister: – Boris Johnson
If you had asked me three years ago, I would have said Gove, however after his kamikaze approach to the leadership election he let May in unopposed. After that I bought into the message of compromise and pragmatism – a PM uniting both remain and leave was surely to be a good thing? How naïve of me to believe.
Brexit was a project created by those who knew the EU cannot be reformed, brexiteers are fundamentally opposed to the alive-and-well encroachment of united states style federalism. Knowing this, there is no room for compromise; compromise should only be deployed to negotiations in good faith – something of a scarcity in Brussels.
Let Boris have his turn! However, he should be under no illusion of the size of the challenge bequeathed to him, it’ll take a miracle to pass anything through parliament, but that being said, if anyone were to defy the odds – it’d be Boris.
Chancellor of the exchequer: – Sajid Javid
I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like for a chancellor to be on the same wavelength as his PM!
An obvious shoe-in for the role would be YC darling Liz truss, however having been seen somewhat as a deer in the headlights figure in her previous roles as secretary of state for justice and earlier environment, food and rural affairs, it would be too quick a step up for Truss. Sajid Javid is the next obvious choice, his wings having been clipped at the home office, he could excel in the role as a self-described ‘Thatcherite’ if left with a freer rein on policy than that he had with Boris’s predecessor.
Home Secretary: – Jeremy Hunt
Home secretary traditionally, is a true statesman’s role, however having lost touch with its roots since 2010 and instead was replaced with a notion that it is best suited for someone quiet, industrious and someone that ‘gets on with the job’. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Hunt has proved a great spokesman with his time in the foreign office, as well as in his run for leadership. However, notice the distinction, I don’t think he’s a statesman just yet, rather an effective spokesman, who is still a little wet behind the ears. If he has ambitions to achieve success in a higher office in the future, he needs to be more absolute – less of his ‘British politeness’ which he coined during his campaign, I’m convinced the role will harden him.
Foreign Secretary: – Owen Patterson
A hidden gem inside the tory party, Owen Patterson.
Having advised ‘Vote Leave’ on strategy during the referendum he is exactly the type of person the country needs to push an outward looking vision to countries we visit. Often seen donning a farmer’s jacket (When he’s not in a Westminster suit) he also passes my test for success in high office – have they been to the black country? Having owned a business in Halesowen Patterson passes with flying colours!
Defence secretary: – Penny Mordaunt
After seeing her recent interview in The Times, the powerful imagery of her commanding the attention of half-a-dozen male military officers really cemented herself as the right person for the job in my mind. If I may say; it is paramount she is more vocal about acquiring further defence investment, with Iran testing our response times and flaunting international law as a justification for their blatant piracy, we need a robust, well-funded military now more than ever.
Health Secretary: – Michael Gove
We’ve had a severe lack of appetite for meaningful innovation in the department of health as of late, overcoming the troubles accompanied by repeated strike action, there seems to be an open goal for the next secretary to come in and provide some vital reforms if we are to see health outcomes improve.
The commonwealth fund’s report is often cited as why the NHS is the best system in the world, for those who have read it you’ll understand that we are worst performing in the only metric that truly matters; health outcomes. Michael Gove did not sit spend anytime twiddling his thumbs at DEFRA, and instead was instrumental to enacting many reforms (some of which I disagreed with) but importantly he had the courage to chase them – a word the department of health haven’t heard in years.
Brexit Secretary: – Dominic Raab
Go watch panorama’s last two episodes on Brexit – need I say more?
Chief Whip: – Gavin Williamson
While at the time of writing this article, the position has gone to one Mark Spencer, a man whose rather unlucky combination of letters used to produce his name drowns out his google searches instead for a popular supermarket chain…
However chief whip is a position almost tailored to a man of his talents, exercising his prowess by successfully predicting the number of votes Boris would achieve, in each round of the leadership election process when whittling the numbers down to the final two. He would have worked fantastically along with Nikki da costa and the rest of BoJo’s newly recruited no.10 staff.
Work and Pensions: – Michael Fallon
Often a poisoned chalice under any conservative government, you are usually more likely to come out the other end less popular than you were before assuming the role. The role asks for someone steadfast in defence of conservative policies – so someone dubbed as the conservative’s ‘attack dog’ would make themselves right at home. His return to cabinet is long overdue.
Other Roles:
Culture, Media and Sport: – Lucy Allen
Business, Energy and industrial strategy: – Liz Truss
Transport: – Andrea Leadsom
International trade: – Priti Patel
Education: – Kemi Badenoch
DEFRA: – Kwasi Kwarteng
NI Secretary: – Connor Burns
Wales secretary: – Stephen Craab
Scotland secretary: – Ross Thomson
Communities and Local government: – Kit Malthouse
Justice: – Nadhim Zahawi
Leader of the House of Commons: – Jacob Rees-Mogg
International development: – Alok Sharma
