May Government – More Departures & Appointments
Leavers: Anna Soubry MP (formerly Business Minister) has resigned from the Government. So has Baroness Altman (formerly Pensions Minister) and also Ed Vaizey MP (formerly Culture Minister) also Dom Raab, and Justin Tomlinson, Mark Francois, George Freeman, Sir Desmond Swayne, Hugo Swire, Julian Brazier, James Duddridge, Charlie Elphicke, John Penrose, Andrew Selous and Baroness Verma.
Some further ministerial appointments have been announced and these will be reflected on the The Teresa May Government page.
The Conservative Home blog has a useful post: “Meet the new team at Number Ten” which provides some insight into the PM’s private office: all the former David Cameron aides have been sent packing and the first 6 key May aides are given as: (1) Nick Timothy: Joint Chief of Staff, (2) Fiona Hill: Joint Chief of Staff, (3) John Godfrey: Director of Policy, (4) Katie Perrior: Director of Communications, (5) Lizzie Loudon: Press Secretary, and (6) Liz Sanderson: Head of Features. The post gives some insight into the background of each.
The UK Prime Minister visits the Scottish First Minister
The Guardian has this: “May tells Sturgeon Holyrood will be ‘fully engaged’ in EU talks“.
The Scotsman had this leader: “Leader comment: May and Sturgeon on a collision course“. and the Scottish Daily Record has: “Theresa May willing to listen to Nicola Sturgeon on EU options but says Scots have ‘had their vote’ on independence“.
If nothing else, the meeting of the UK Prime Minister and the Scottish First Minister at Bute House shows how far we have moved on since 1558 and John Knox’s proposition:
“To promote a woman to bear rule, superiority, dominion, or empire above any realm, nation, or city, is repugnant to nature; contumely [an insult] to God, a thing most contrary to his revealed will and approved ordinance; and finally, it is the subversion of good order, of all equity and justice” [First Blast of the Trumpet against The Monstrous Regiment of Women].
Since the Scottish First Minister has obtained assurances from the Prime Minister relating to participation in any Brexit negotiations, it was interesting to note the Announcement on STV: “Brussels trip for MSPs as Brexit talks get under way“.
It is to be hoped that as a supporter of the Union, the Prime Minister has come away from Scotland with a very clear understanding that Brexit might very well be the trigger for the withdrawal of the nation of Scotland from the Union.
Other Brexit Issues
No-one will be surprised that the sad events in France and Turkey take up much of the space in the Sunday papers – pushing Brexit issues off the front and inside pages – with few exceptions.
The Observer has this: “Brexit won’t free UK from paying for botched EU farming subsidies, warn audit office” – agricultural subsidies are a problem Andrea Leadsom now has on her desk. The Observer also has this: “A hard truth for Leave voters: Brexit means big government” which is summarised thus “The unshackled post-EU economy that free marketeers dream of will only succeed with high immigration – and massive state investme
The Sunday Times has “Whitehall scours City for Brexit trade experts – Ministers scramble to build negotiating team as talks to leave EU loom“.
Legal Week has this “Seven ways Brexit will impact international law firms“. It might be very hard for the Secretary of State for Brexit to persuade any respectable lawyer to join him in his campaign to wreck the City of London.
Yet, the Mail on Sunday has this from the Secretary of State for Brexit: “We’ll send EU migrant ‘surge’ back: Brexit Minister David Davis says he may send home Europeans who rush to get in before we leave Brussels “
One has to wonder whether the Prime Minister approved that statement before it was released. Still, appointing David Davis to any position in government was always going to be risky.
