15 favourite reactions to Rishi Sunak’s new Cabinet deck-chair arrangement
On Tuesday, Rishi Sunak held a mini reshuffle of his Cabinet in response to having sacked his Conservative Party Chairman Nadhim Zahawi.
It provided the perfect opportunity to address some gaps in the expertise of his government and to ditch the Deputy PM Dominic Raab, who now faces at least 25 accusations of bullying.
If @RishiSunak doesn't use the #Reshuffle to get rid of Dominic Raab then he's an idiot and he won't survive until the election https://t.co/gRaquMtSlX
— Will Black (@WillBlackWriter) February 7, 2023
Memo to Sunak: this is your chance to show climate leadership. Put a Climate Minister in Cabinet, create a new Climate & Energy Dept, and weave climate emergency throughout every department. Musical chairs won't secure a liveable future, but climate leadership will – let's see it
— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) February 7, 2023
Instead, he broke up some departments to create four new ones, at a cost of £60-£100 million, appointing or moving people with poor or troubling track records – and Raab is still DPM.
This is what the new appointments look like.
🚨Reshuffle confirmed:
Grant Shapps – Energy Security & Net Zero
Michelle Donelan – Science, Innovation & Technology
Kemi Badenoch – Business & Trade
Lucy Frazer – Culture, Media & Sport
Greg Hands – Tory party chair— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) February 7, 2023
There was also this surprise promotion.
👏 Welcome @LeeAndersonMP_ – our new Deputy Chairman of the @Conservatives pic.twitter.com/zXexdGqsGt
— Conservatives (@Conservatives) February 7, 2023
It’s the political transfer window from Hell, with not a single keeper in sight.
Best for Britain put the new Cabinet in context.
There was a cabinet mini-reshuffle a year ago under Johnson (8th February 2022).
Since then we've had a reshuffle (or mini-reshuffle) in:
– July 2022 (Johnson)
– September 2022 (Truss)
– October 2022 (Sunak)
– February 2023 (Sunak)That's five reshuffles in a year. ~AA
— Best for Britain (@BestForBritain) February 7, 2023
Five reshuffles, four Chancellors of the Exchequer, three Prime Ministers, two Deputy Prime Ministers …and a partridge in a pear tree.
The reshuffle went down brilliantly with tweeters – at least the ones who appreciate promising comedy prompts when they see them.
1.
Congratulations to all the new temps joining the cabinet. Forgive us if we all don’t bother learning your names this time.
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) February 7, 2023
2.
Just overhauled my fridge…
I reshuffled all the gone-off pestos, forgotten curry pastes and rancid chutneys by moving them into different positions
Can’t wait to see how much better my fridge is after this.
— Marina Purkiss (@MarinaPurkiss) February 7, 2023
3.
Sunak's shuffled Michele Donelan from Digital, Media, Culture and Sport to the NEW department of Science, Innovation and Technology…this is going to give the Tories a BIG lead in the polls! #reshuffle
— Sooz Kempner🐀 (@SoozUK) February 7, 2023
4.
‘Sorry about the #reshuffle delay! It’s taken so long because I’ve had to find MPs that aren’t tax avoiders and workplace bullies!’
RICHY SUNAK pic.twitter.com/BXt5DWdVAg
— Ron Moore MP (@RonMooreMoreRon) February 7, 2023
5.
I am creating a new Department focussed on energy. The top priority of this department will be to ensure that energy companies can keep making enormous profits at taxpayers’ expense.#Reshuffle
— Parody Rishi Sunak (@Parody_PM) February 7, 2023
6.
Tory reshuffles- Like trying to find a battery that works from the box of used ones you should've thrown away but didn't #reshuffle
— Gene McGurk (@magawk) February 7, 2023
7.
The Department is ESNZ which sounds like a German dance outfit or an Exciting New Fragrance for the Urban Woman. https://t.co/YOIeXZcLuA
— Dan Rebellato (@DanRebellato) February 7, 2023