deck shuffling time

Time to speculate on the new Prime Minister's new Cabinet ahead of the media which is still reeling from today's events. Poor Labour are getting pushed right down the news at the moment.

I took the existing Parliament list, culled a few names and moved a few more around to get a sense of what it could look like.

There's a few interesting promotions as well as one or two potentially interesting losses. It's quite a large table for this blog, with 32 or so rows and about 4 columns covering Role, Current, New and Gone.

It obviously includes the new Secretary of State for Brexit. I'll speculate between Chris Grayling and Phillip Hammond, although I suppose Hammond will end up as Chancellor?

The Brexit thing is really multiple roles - at least one for exit, another for ongoing trade negotiations and another for border questions. Conventionally it should be a SuperProject with the relevant Ministries providing support.

As for Home Secretary, I'm guessing Theresa May will hand it along to Amber Rudd. Then a new Leader of the House to free up Grayling. I'll punt for Priti Patel.

It all leads to my speculations for promotions for Philip Hammond, Amber Rudd, Chris Grayling, Liz Truss (Where Amber Rudd was previously) and Priti Patel.

Then there's finding a role for Andrea Leadsom?

And a few other questions:

Would we get a new Deputy Prime Minister like the role that John Prescott used to play? Would it be necessary to keep George Osborne in a role? A few gaps emerge when others move up to take new responsibilities - like Foreign Secretary. I'd rather remove any over-entitled schoolboys who have treated government as a toy.

However much I'd like it, I can't see a move to shift Gove from Justice. If Crabb goes from the huge DWP, who would make a replacement? Don't say Jeremy Hunt. He'd be on my list of exits.

And that's my gaps: Justice (post Gove), DWP (post Crabb- please not Hunt), FCA (no good ideas - just one bad one).

Health could be taken over by Jane Ellison - moving up from the Under Secretary role.

Then there's the question of the Cabinet Office. Surely there's a better plan for Minister for Government Policy than Oliver Letwin? Wait - maybe that could be Leadsom?

There will also be some that want to ditch Whittingdale and possibly replace him with Johnston, although I'd be inclined to let Boris drift away from power and perhaps invoke his US citizenship?

All speculation, but interesting to see how it plays over the next few days.

Oh, okay here's my list (only click it if you really want to read it)...


And breathe.