Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Cabinet Reshuffle 2012: how it affects Suffolk

With only two of the county's MPs surviving the 2010 General Election, and with five newcomers to the House of Commons, it wasn't terribly surprising that we were unrepresented within the serried ranks of Government Ministers at first.

Tim Yeo is, to put it bluntly, past it, with no likelihood of preferment, given that there were rumours before 2010 that he wouldn't be running again. David Ruffley, who might have been preferred had it not been for the Coalition, suffered from well-reported health problems, and the added stress of ministerial office might have exacerbated those.

The newcomers were a mixed bunch, with the three held seats going to outsiders, much to the chagrin of local Conservative activists, none of whom were considered worthy of the sinecure that is a safe Conservative shire county seat. Indeed, very few were considered to be worthy of inclusion in a shortlist to be put before local members. On the other hand, the target seats went to two candidates with excellent local credentials.

So, now that they've bedded in, they fall into the category of 'bright young talent', and therefore, potential new ministers.

Matthew Hancock was always likely to get on, as an acolyte of George Osborne, and his former chief of staff. West Suffolk was not his first choice of seat, having applied for selection in Macclesfield where, apparently, he was pretty awful in front of the members. Clearly, George bringing him to the Treasury is a way of instilling greater loyalty, and his future is very much tied to that of his sponsor.

Daniel Poulter's promotion to become a junior minister at Health is more of a surprise. Not because he lacks talent, as I happen to think that he is one of the more thoughtful, collegiate members of the 2010 Conservative intake, but because the idea of appointing someone who knows what he is talking about seems rather unlikely. If I were a health professional, I would be reassured by the presence of a practising surgeon within the Department of Health - he spends part of his recess at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston.

Still no job for Peter Aldous, Therese Coffey or Ben Gummer, but as two of them will have tough battles for re-election in 2015, and Therese Coffey is a woman, no great surprise there.

So, Suffolk is closer to the centre of government following the reshuffle. It would be nice if it felt like that to the average voter...

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