Prime Minister Rishi Sunak set to reshuffle cabinet after rocky start
Published
| Last updated
Rishi Sunak is this morning (7 February) holding a cabinet reshuffle as he attempts to turn his fortunes around ahead of UK-wide local elections.
The prime minister recently passed 100 days in office and unless you're using lettuce-loser Liz Truss as a yardstick then things haven't really gone very well.
While his immediate predecessor didn't even last 100 days, Sunak has at least managed to stay in Downing Street long enough to look like he's not about to get booted out any day now.
However, the ongoing catastrophe of Conservative party cock-ups has not come to an end under his leadership, with the Tories still lagging well behind in the polls and beset by scandal after scandal.
The prime minister's promise to govern with 'integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level' has really not been fulfilled within his first 100 days and he will be hoping to get those goals back on track.
No matter how weak a prime minister is there is always one card they can play in the cabinet reshuffle, essentially a political equivalent of musical chairs where the boss gets to decide who sits down again.
One of the spots Sunak will have to fill in his reshuffle is that of party chair, most recently occupied by Nadhim Zahawi before he was sacked after being found to repeatedly fail to be open and honest about his taxes.
Zahawi's former job is one seat that needs to be filled but there are some other positions which are likely to have new owners pretty soon, and would leave their current occupants without a chair when the music stops.
Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab's position could be under threat after complaints of bullying were made against him, with the politician now being placed under investigation as he denies the allegations made against him.
Raab is also the justice secretary, so if he ends up being shuffled out while under investigation that opens up a couple of potential spots for someone to claim.
There are also claims that Sunak is planning on adding some new chairs to the cabinet by splitting up the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy into separate ministries which would each need their own minister.
During his leadership campaign the prime minister pledged to create a separate ministry for energy, which might be quite necessary considering how heavy a concern it is for Brits right now.
Whomever he picks for his new cabinet in his 'mini reshuffle' Sunak will be hoping his refreshed team can do something about his party's dire polling as they continue to lag far behind Labour.
Sunak will also need any potential uptick in popularity to rub off on him too, as recent YouGov polling indicates that a majority of Brits see him as a bad prime minister with his approval ratings in the negative and falling.
Let's see who goes out and who stays in.
Featured Image Credit: Imageplotter / PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
Topics: Rishi Sunak, UK News, News, Politics
