A couple of interesting appointments this week for Theresa May’s new cabinet. BoJo to the Foreign Office was undoubtedly the biggest surprise of them all, but what’s been going on since then?
Well yesterday we saw the first few appointments to junior ministerial posts, but for people to come in, we need some people to shuffle out, so it was goodbye to Anna Soubry at BIS and Ros Altmann at DWP.
Both Altmann and Soubry have been somewhat divisive figures during their time in government. Neither one of them pulls any punches, and both of them have not been backwards in coming forwards in criticising the government. But part of me is sad to see them go (sort of). Two women in leading ministerial positions who were not afraid to speak their mind. Soubry had been one of the most vocal supporters of the Remain campaign ahead of the EU referendum. Unafraid to make the case for immigration, and vehemently anti-UKIP hers is a voice I think remain voting conservative voters will miss.
Altmann has been damning of the government’s changes at DWP. Their pension reform has been poor and damaging to women, she has said. And she was straight out of the gates to hit back at IDS when he handed in his resignation earlier this year.
Whether you like these women or not, it’s a disappointment that confident and passionate women are shuffled out of power. Rumours abounded that Mrs May was going to be progressive in her appointment of females to senior posts, but with one swift move she has quietened two of the loudest, and sometimes more sensible, voices in her party.
Don’t worry though. Neither Soubry nor Altmann went quietly. “That’s politics” Soubry said after handing in her resignation. No doubt she plans on making waves from the back benches. Whilst Altmann made public her damning critique of policies she has been forced to promote and defend for some time. I don’t think either one of them is quite finished yet.
Politics on the side 