Rishi Sunak’s baby steps on cabinet changes are a reminder he still struggles to take his party with him
Rishi Sunak today sought to put his own stamp on the cabinet, in a way not possible a year ago when he took over.
Yet this reshuffle – which was already in the works in May – took only baby steps towards creating a cabinet truly in Mr Sunak’s image.
Even this level of change immediately provoked rumblings which suggest some of the Conservative Party are not yet ready for a top team that bears his imprint too heavily.
Today has been a stark reminder that, 10 months into the job, sometimes Mr Sunak still struggles to take part of his party with him.
And as a result, he is now likely to have a second reshuffle before the end of the year.
The logic behind the three decisions today tells us much about Mr Sunak.
There is a perfectly sensible reason to replace Ben Wallace with Grant Shapps.
Mr Wallace had qualities that endeared him to many – his affinity with the military, his high standing with Tory members, his willingness to confront the Treasury and other ministers, and his pivotal role over Ukraine.
‘Absolute nightmare’ coming for NHS as strikes announced – politics latest
But not all of these went down so well in Number 10, who felt this amounted to grandstanding on the world stage and endless demands for cash.
It was no secret in Westminster that the personal relationship between Mr Wallace and Mr Sunak was not the strongest.
So the Shapps appointment represents a different approach.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Who is Grant Shapps?
A fast learner – as any cabinet minister who has had five jobs in the last year can expect to be – he will use this more high-profile approach to project the government’s message more widely.
Senior Tories know they don’t have many top-rank media performers (“it’s a bit eighth series Big Brother”, sighed one) – so an upside of the defence post is that it comes without the burdens of the energy job – where the incumbent risks being dragged into tricksy arguments about climate change and net zero.
Mr Shapps is not known for getting bogged down in fights with cabinet colleagues or arguments with the Treasury.
In general, he is well-liked – and last year was sufficiently confident to launch his own, albeit brief, leadership bid.
Such is the grumpiness of the Tory Party that this closeness is toxic for some, with one member of the government labelling Grant Shapps “an encyclopaedia salesman” – he was a businessman before entering government – and claiming this was a reward for helping to oust Liz Truss.
Yet Mr Sunak will see this as putting the demands of an upcoming election ahead of the need for depth of military or foreign affairs experience – a trade-off he will be comfortable with.
Replacing Mr Shapps in the energy brief is Claire Coutinho, one of the most loyal MPs to Mr Sunak in parliament.
A special adviser when he was chief secretary to the Treasury, a parliamentary aide when he was chancellor, and a senior figure on his campaign team, this former investment banker speaks the prime minister’s language.
Read more:
Is Sunak making a mistake with cabinet of allies?
The rise of Grant Shapps
Who is Claire Coutinho?
As a reward, she becomes the first 2019 intake MP to be catapulted into cabinet.
But she is a relatively unknown figure to many, and there will be an awful lot of Tory MPs who feel there are others (perhaps themselves) with greater qualifications.
She – along with Laura Trott, Victoria Atkins, Laura Farris and the highly tipped David Johnston, who was promoted to Ms Coutinho’s old job – form a new generation of loyalists for the new prime minister.
But many others, bruised by the Truss era, are hostile and suspicious of his decision to promote allies rather than reach across the party to find talent.
Back in May, there were suggestions this reshuffle might spell the end of Therese Coffey, the environment secretary, Steve Barclay, the health secretary, or even Suella Braverman, the home secretary.
What is not clear is whether things will be easier in November than they are now, the last days of August.
It was perhaps not quite how officials, in London at least, had envisaged the announcement of the state visit would be made.
In the Oval Office, Donald Trump revealed the news in his own way.
“I was invited by the King and the great country. They are going to do a second fest – that’s what it is. It is beautiful,” he said during an impromptu Oval Office moment.
The question was, did this “fest” – which Mr Trump suggested could happen in September – amount to the much hyped second state visit for the American president?
Or was this actually just the smaller visit that had been offered two months ago as an initial bilateral visit at which the state visit would be discussed?
Back in February, Sir Keir Starmer presented the president with a letter from King Charles and the offer of a state visit.
The letter proposed an initial meeting between the King and the president to discuss details of the state visit at either Dumfries House or Balmoral, both in Scotland, close to Mr Trump’s golf clubs.
The King wrote: “Quite apart from this presenting an opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest, it would also offer a valuable chance to plan a historic second state visit to the United Kingdom… As you will know this is unprecedented by a US president. That is why I would find it helpful for us to be able to discuss, together, a range of options for location and programme content.”
As he revealed the news of his “fest” with his “friend Charles”, Mr Trump said: “I think they are setting a date for September…”
Sources have since confirmed to Sky News that it will amount to the full state visit.
Read more from Sky News:
Man hijacks plane and stabs passengers before being shot dead
Evidence contradicts Israel’s account of attack on aid workers
Gang war gripping major cities
Sir Keir Starmer handed Trump the invite earlier this year. Pic: Reuters
‘Even more important’
It’s possible the initial less formal presidential trip may still happen between now and September. Mr Trump is in Europe for the NATO summit in June and is due in Scotland to open a new golf course soon too.
“It is the second time it has happened to one person. The reason is we have two separate terms, and it’s an honour to be a friend of King Charles and the family, William,” the president said.
“I don’t know how it can be bigger than the last one. The last one was incredible, but they say the next one will be even more important.”
His last state visit in 2019, at the invitation of the late Queen, drew significant protests epitomised by the giant blow-up “Baby Trump” which floated over Parliament Square.
The president was hosted by the Queen in June 2019. Pic: Reuters
Britain’s trump card
September is a little earlier than had been expected for the visit. It may be an advantage for it to happen sooner rather than later, given the profoundly consequential and controversial nature of the first few months of his second term.
The decision by the British government to play its “state visit trump card” up front back in February drew some criticism.
And since February, Mr Trump’s position on numerous issues has been increasingly at odds with all of America’s allies.
On Ukraine, he has seemingly aligned himself closely with Vladimir Putin. His tariffs have caused a global economic shock. And on issues like Greenland and Canada, a member of the Commonwealth, he has generated significant diplomatic shock.
A risk worth taking
Mr Trump is as divisive among the British public as he is in America. Sir Keir is already walking a political tightrope by choosing the softly softly approach with the White House.
👉 Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app 👈
The UK government chose not to retaliate against Mr Trump’s tariffs, unlike some allies. Sir Keir and his cabinet have been at pains not to be seen to criticise the president in any way as they seek to influence him on Ukraine and seek an elusive economic deal on tariffs.
On that tariff deal, despite some positive language from the US side and offers on the table, there has yet to be a breakthrough. A continuing challenge is engaging with the president for decisions and agreements only he, not his cabinet, will make.
British officials acknowledge the risk the state visit poses. In this presidency, anything could happen between now and September.
But they argue British soft power and Mr Trump’s fondness for the Royal Family and pomp – or a “fest” as he calls it – amount to vital diplomatic clout.
For a special relationship under strain, a special state visit is the tonic.
Politics
Laws may need to be bolstered to crack down on exploitation of child ‘influencers’, senior MP suggests
Laws may need to be strengthened to crack down on the exploitation of child “influencers”, a senior Labour MP has warned.
Chi Onwurah, chair of the science, technology and innovation committee, said parts of the Online Safety Act – passed in October 2023 – may already be “obsolete or inadequate”.
Politics latest: Follow live updates
Experts have raised concerns that there is a lack of provision in industry laws for children who earn money through brand collaborations on social media when compared to child actors and models.
This has led to some children advertising in their underwear on social media, one expert has claimed.
Those working in more traditional entertainment fields are safeguarded by performance laws, which strictly govern the hours a minor can work, the money they earn and who they are accompanied by.
The Child Influencer Project, which has curated the world’s first industry guidelines for the group, has warned of a “large gap in UK law” which is not sufficiently filled by new online safety legislation.
Official portrait of Chi Onwurah.
Pic: UK Parlimeant
The group’s research found that child influencers could be exposed to as many as 20 different risks of harm, including to dignity, identity, family life, education, and their health and safety.
Ms Onwurah told Sky News there needs to be a “much clearer understanding of the nature of child influencers ‘work’ and the legal and regulatory framework around it”.
She said: “The safety and welfare of children are at the heart of the Online Safety Act and rightly so.
“However, as we know in a number of areas the act may already be obsolete or inadequate due to the lack of foresight and rigour of the last government.”
Victoria Collins, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for science, innovation and technology, agreed that regulations “need to keep pace with the times”, with child influencers on social media “protected in the same way” as child actors or models.
“Liberal Democrats would welcome steps to strengthen the Online Safety Act on this front,” she added.
‘Something has to be done’
MPs warned in 2022 that the government should “urgently address the gap in UK child labour and performance regulation that is leaving child influencers without protection”.
They asked for new laws on working hours and conditions, a mandate for the protection of the child’s earnings, a right to erasure and to bring child labour arrangements under the oversight of local authorities.
However, Dr Francis Rees, the principal investigator for the Child Influencer Project, told Sky News that even after the implementation of the Online Safety Act, “there’s still a lot wanting”.
“Something has to be done to make brands more aware of their own duty of care towards kids in this arena,” she said.
Dr Rees added that achieving performances from children on social media “can involve extremely coercive and disruptive practices”.
“We simply have to do more to protect these children who have very little say or understanding of what is really happening. Most are left without a voice and without a choice.”
Read more from Sky News:
Four killed as cable car crashes to ground near Naples
Two dead and five injured in shooting at Florida university
The researcher pointed to one particular instance, in which children were advertising an underwear brand on social media.
She said: “The kids in the company’s own marketing material or their own media campaigns are either pulling up the band of the underwear underneath their clothing, or they’re holding the underwear up while they’re fully clothed.
“But whenever you look at any of the sponsored content produced by families with children – mum, dad, and child are in their underwear.”
Dr Rees said it is “night and day” in terms of how companies are behaving when they have responsibility for the material, versus “the lack of responsibility once they hand it over to parents with kids”.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway