Dilyn and the Chancellor’s Bailey chilling harmoniously in Downing Street….
Dilyn is Welsh for follow. Maybe some Tory MPs should take note…
This week, Boris launched his ‘People’s PMQs’ allowing him to answer the public’s questions directly, in one of many examples of Downing Street getting on top of its PR and Coms operation since the new administration started. The People’s PMQs always looked like an obvious PR win, proved by the Facebook livestream receiving 230,000 views and overwhelmingly positive feedback.
Guido hears from Downing Street aides that the ‘People’s PMQs’ idea was pitched to Theresa May months ago only for her to reject the proposal. Guido is hardly surprised to discover the Maybot missed what could have been an open PR goal…
The Daily Mirror reveals that Lee Cain, the long-time spinner for Boris who has been appointed as his Downing Street Director of Communications, used to dress up as the Mirror’s chicken to taunt the taunt the Tories in 2010. According to the Mirror he was pictured being led away by police as David Cameron and his wife Samantha looked on in the background. Guido called him last night for an eggs-planation but he refused to sqwawk…
Despite being given the chance to make a clean breast of it all, he refused to crack. Looking back, Cain pulled off quite a coup that we didn’t find out this nugget of information when Boris crossed the road to avoid a TV debate. The media would have roasted him…
At some point in a politico-media career everyone dons the chicken suit. It is the mark of someone who will hen-dure…
15:42: Kevin Foster remains as a PUSS at the Wales Office and the Cabinet Office, and as a Government Whip
15:42: Chloe Smith remains as a PUSS at the Cabinet Office
15:42: Rebecca Pow remains as a PUSS at the DCMS
15:42: Guy Opperman remains as a PUSS at DWP
15:42: Will Quince remains as a PUSS at DWP
15:42: Nus Ghani remains as a PUSS at Transport, and an Assistant Government Whip
14:46: Nadhim Zahawi becomes a PUSS at BEIS.
14:46: Kelly Tolhurst remains as a PUSS at BEIS.
14:46: John Glen remains as Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
14:46: Graham Stuart remains as a PUSS at DIT.
14:46: Victoria Atkins remains as a PUSS at the Home Office, and as Minister for Women.
13:08: Baroness Williams remains at the Home Office, and as Minister for Equalities.
13:08: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon remains at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
13:08: Lord Callanan remains at the Department for Exiting the European Union.
13:08: Baroness Goldie DL to the Ministry of Defence.
13:08: Michael Ellis becomes Solicitor General.
13:08: Lord Ashton of Hyde becomes Lords Chief Whip.
13:08: George Freeman to the Department for Transport.
13:08: Nick Hurd to the Northern Ireland Office. He remains Minister for London.
Friday 26/07
21:42 Chris Skidmore to Department of Health and Social Care
21:42 Chris Heaton Harris to Department of Transport
21:42 Caroline Dinenage stays at the Department of Health and Social Care
20:44 Andrew Stephenson to FCO
20:44 Andrew Murrison stays at FCO & DfID
20:44 Justin Tomlinson stays at DWP
20:16 Chris Pincher to Foreign and Commonwealth Office
20:16 Mark Lancaster stays at Ministry of Defence
20:01 Thérèse Coffey MP to DEFRA
20:01 George Eustice to DEFRA
With regret, I have turned down a ministerial job.
I cannot repeat my experience of powerlessness as a junior @DExEUgov minister with the work done in @cabinetofficeuk.
I have total confidence in @BorisJohnson to take us out of the EU by 31 Oct.
Disaster awaits otherwise.
— Steve Baker MP (@SteveBakerHW) July 25, 2019
19:33 Conor Burns MP is Minister for State at the Department for International Trade
18:59 Nick Gibb stays as Schools Minister
18:52 Kit Malthouse is the new Police Minister at the Home Office
18:38 Lucy Frazer is a Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice
18:38 Jesse Norman remains Financial Secretary to the Treasury
18:16 Nigel Adams gets DCMS Minister for Sport.
Updating as and when…
Larry the Cat may have survived yesterday’s reshuffle, he’ll be having paws for thought today. Guido hears that Boris declared to an all-staff meeting in Downing Street that the war between Larry and Palmerston was over and he’d mews over what could be done about getting a dog. Could be a ruff deal for the Chief Mouser. As Harry Truman is supposed to have said, “If you want a friend in politics, get a dog”…
