Replacing Maria Miller descends into 'Yes Minister' farce

Women and Equalities job has to be split - because PM's candidate doesn't believe in gay marriage

Former Culture Secretary Maria Miller drives away from Parliament after resigning
(Image credit: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

DAVID CAMERON this morning appointed Sajid Javid, a trusted Treasury minister and the son of a Pakistani-born bus driver, to replace the humiliated Maria Miller as Culture Secretary.

But the Prime Minister's attempt to brush the Miller affair under the carpet before MPs depart on their Easter holidays turned into a farce reminiscent of the best episodes of Yes Minister.

That's because the other half of Miller's Cabinet role was Secretary for Women and Equalities. Surely a man would not be appointed to hold this brief? That would be the ultimate proof that Cameron has a "problem" with women.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The Mole: three good reasons why Miller had to go

Well, Number Ten's answer is that, yes actually, "The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport remains Secretary of State for Women and Equality."

The compromise is that a woman has been found to act as Minister under Javid. She is ­Nicky Morgan, who also takes Javid's old job at the Treasury.

"Ms Morgan will be minister for women and will attend Cabinet. It's been beefed up," the PM's spokesman explained.

But here's the catch: Morgan can only look after Women ­ not Equalities.

Why? Because in February 2013 she voted against gay marriage.

''I totally support civil partnerships and that same-sex relationships are recognised in law," she said. "But marriage, to me, is between a man and a woman."

So, Javid himself will look after Equalities.

Needless to say, Westminster watchers have been having a field day while lobby journalists gathered after Prime Minister's Questions to press the PM's spokesman to explain who would answer for the government when a minister is next due to take "questions to the minister for women and equality".

As Paul Waugh at Politics Home tweeted: "Just asked No 10 if Nicky Morgan is Minister for Heterosexual Women + not Homosexual Women. No 10 not amused but it was serious."

On the plus side, neither of the new faces in the Cabinet is an Old Etonian. Javid attended Downend comprehensive in Bristol; Morgan went to Surbiton High School. As the Daily Telegraph reports, the mini-shuffle means there are now five women and two Asians who have a right to attend Cabinet.

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jack Bremer is a London-based reporter, attached to The Week.co.uk. He has reported regularly from the United States and France.