The Ri-Shuffle is creating a swathe of vacancies in the plum Commons job of select committee chairs. Hunt’s promotion to Chancellor vacated the chair of the Health select committee; Mel Stride’s promotion to DWP vacates the Treasury select committee; and Rob Halfon’s promotion  to Education minister vacates the Education selection committee.

A senior MP has just been in touch to say that none other than former Health Secretary Matt Hancock to is now gearing up for the sweetest plum of all: the chairmanship of the Treasury select committee. He was levelling for a job with Liz, and Rishi’s already passed him over – will this finally be the comeback Hancock’s been looking for? 

He’ll up against John Baron, who’s just declared this afternoon that he’s standing. Kit Malthouse is also reportedly mulling a bid. Stay tuned…

UPDATE: Harriett Baldwin is also standing, and is keen to remind Guido that she has been on the Committee for the last three years and Cassandra-like in asking the Governor of the Bank of England about rising inflationary pressures and the Deputy Governor about the capacity of the gilt market to absorb increases in issuance as well as quantitative tightening.  She was City Minister in David Cameron’s government and before politics had a very successful 20-year City career at JP Morgan. She’s a hawk.

UPDATE II: Andrea Leadsom is also standing. She’s campaigning on her 25 years experience in the financial sector prior to becoming an MP, plus previously serving on the committee for four years in the wake of the financial crash.