Rishi’s reshuffle: Sunak’s 100-day reset explained
Splitting the business department up criticised as ‘rearranging of the Whitehall deckchairs’
Rishi Sunak unveiled a shake-up of Whitehall this week in the hope of generating faster economic growth. The sprawling business department has been split up, creating three new ministries – Energy Security and Net Zero; Business and Trade; Science, Innovation and Technology – led by Grant Shapps, Kemi Badenoch and Michelle Donelan respectively.
Opposition parties said the reorganisation would be a costly distraction, but Sunak said the changes would help the Government deliver on his priorities. Greg Hands was named as Tory chairman, replacing Nadhim Zahawi. Lee Anderson, a former Labour councillor dubbed the “Red Wall Rottweiler” for his outspoken views, will serve as his deputy.
There was no change to the position of Dominic Raab, the Deputy PM, who is being investigated over bullying allegations and who is under pressure to stand down pending the outcome of the inquiry. Dozens of officials are thought to be involved in eight formal complaints. Raab denies all the allegations.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
‘Rearranging of the Whitehall deckchairs’
Critics may dismiss the reshuffle as a “rearranging of the Whitehall deckchairs”, but there’s a sound logic to it, said The Daily Telegraph. It makes sense for one Cabinet minister to focus on energy policy. And many believe that efforts in science, innovation and tech have suffered “from being insufficiently joined up”. The decision to effectively re-establish the old department for trade and industry, under Badenoch, is also sensible, said The Times. It will allow the focus to “return to trade promotion in a powerful Whitehall department dedicated to ensuring Britain is a highly competitive place to do business”.
The reshuffle was also designed to bolster Sunak’s position, said The Guardian. As it didn’t involve sacking anyone, and promoted some new faces, it may help him lead his party. But the changes will inevitably disturb the business of governing: England now has its sixth housing minister in a year. The rejigging of departments will be disruptive, agreed the London Evening Standard. New ministries often “consume vast reserves of Whitehall energy simply procuring enough chairs for workers and establishing new HR protocols”.
“This reshuffle is personal” for Sunak, said Steven Swinford in The Times. He declared during his leadership campaign that he wanted to make Britain a “science and technology superpower”, and he really meant it. When he was at Stanford University, he immersed himself in “academic debates about the role of innovation in driving growth”, and he strongly believed that the science brief wasn’t getting the attention it deserved. He may have been right about that, said Pippa Crerar in The Guardian, but his Whitehall rejig isn’t going to deliver many benefits before the next election.
‘100 day reset’
If the public even notices these changes, “they’re unlikely to care”. In political terms, the reshuffle was a “damp squib”, agreed Nigel Jones in The Spectator. It’s all very well setting Britain on “the road to a smart, techno-nimble innovative future in distant years to come”. But what’s really bothering voters right now are all the strikes plaguing the country. Sunak seems “either unable, or unwilling” to provide an answer to these.
The reshuffle is unlikely to deliver the “100-day reset” that the PM desires, said Rachel Wearmouth in The New Statesman. Strikes and the squeeze on living standards will continue to take a toll on his Government. And he faces the unsolved problem of Dominic Raab, whose position is widely believed to be “untenable”. Chances are, Sunak will have to reshuffle his top team again in a few weeks, which will “only reinforce the impression of disorder”. People keep urging Sunak to sack Raab, said Hugo Rifkind in The Times, but I fail to see why he should. The charge sheet against the Deputy PM is less than damning, at least from what we know so far. We’re told that, during one meeting with staff, he crossly threw three cherry tomatoes from his salad into a paper bag. He could be “very icy”, reported an official. “He’d be given a piece of paper and there would be silence, and he’d say, ‘This isn’t good enough.’” It’s hardly the stuff of horror films, is it? Granted, Raab sounds like a “nightmare boss” and a rather angry, unpleasant man. But does that alone justify drumming him out of office?
In the meantime, the PM has organised an away day for Tory MPs early next month. Backbenchers were told: “This will be a rare chance for us all to get together, enjoy dinner and share ideas.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 cleverly clashing cartoons about the presidential debate
Cartoons Artists take on a deepfake debate, winners and losers, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Pélicot case: a horror exposed
Talking Point This case is unusually horrifying, but the misogyny that enabled is chillingly common
By The Week UK Published
-
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: pure 'nostalgia bait'
Talking Point Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder return for sequel to the 1988 cult classic
By The Week UK Published
-
The Grenfell report: who was at fault?
The Explainer The inquiry into Britain's worst residential fire since the Blitz has taken seven years, and uncovered an extraordinary range of failings
By The Week UK Published
-
Can Germany's far-right win across the country?
Today's Big Question A startling AfD triumph in eastern Germany's regional elections lays bare the fragility of the country's mismatched coalition goverment
By The Week UK Published
-
Who will be the next Tory leader?
In Depth Race for the leadership will intensify this week as hopefuls face first vote
By The Week UK Last updated
-
Tommy Robinson: the voice of Britain's far-right
The Explainer The best-known figure on the UK’s extreme-right has been accused of playing a part in inciting the recent riots
By The Week UK Published
-
Thailand: heading for a 'political inferno'?
Talking Points Hopes of change fading as establishment moves to dismantle reformist Move Forward party
By The Week UK Published
-
Venezuela votes: 'the mother of all stolen elections'
Talking Points Nicolás Maduro has pulled off a breath-taking steal at the ballot box, but his power increasingly relies on foreign allies
By The Week UK Published
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Taking away the car keys
Opinion Getting old demands acceptance of necessary losses
By William Falk Published