Boris Johnson plans ‘revolution’ in government
Prime minister to sack third of cabinet, scrap Whitehall departments and shake up civil service in bid to appeal to ex-Labour voters
Boris Johnson is planning to revolutionise the way government is run by sacking swathes of his cabinet, scrapping Whitehall departments and making sweeping changes to the civil service.
Having secured the Conservatives’ biggest parliamentary majority in more than 30 years, the newly emboldened prime minister has wasted no time reshaping the party and Whitehall in his image.
In plans revealed by The Sunday Times, up to a third of his cabinet face the sack in a February reshuffle after Brexit “so that fresh faces can be brought in to create a ‘transformative’ government focused on the needs of working-class voters who propelled him to a landslide victory last week”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
In a major shake-up of Whitehall: DExEU, the Brexit department, will be abolished after the UK formally leaves the EU at the end of January; a new department for immigration and borders will be created to improve security and operate the visa system after Brexit; the Department for International Development will be merged with the Foreign Office to help co-ordinate Britain’s aid budget with foreign policy goals; and energy and climate change will be split from the business department.
Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s chief aide, “is to spearhead plans for radical reforms to the civil service, including a review of the processes for hiring and firing officials, to ensure Whitehall delivers the Prime Minister’s agenda”, The Daily Telegraph says.
A long-standing outspoken critic of how the civil service is run, Cummings will push for new rules to ensure it is easier to recruit external experts from business and other sectors to serve alongside career mandarins.
The Sunday Times says Johnson’s “three priorities for the next five years will be to convince northern voters to stay with the Tories again”. This will include: enshrining in law the government’s commitment to boost NHS spending by £33.9bn by 2023-24, the first time a government has made a spending commitment legally binding over several years; transforming Britain’s economy outside London to attract more high-tech jobs to northern areas; and record numbers of new infrastructure projects.
The Daily Mirror also reports Johnson “is seeking to abolish the Fixed-term Parliaments Act and redraw constituency boundaries in a bid to stay in Number 10 for a decade”.
This would give the prime minister control over when he next faces British voters, while he could revive controversial plans set forward in an earlier Boundary Commission review to cut the number of MPs from 650 to 60. Both of these would work in his favour in a future election.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Plans to reform sections of the media and judiciary could prove far more controversial, however.
The Daily Telegraph reports Johnson has ordered his aides to launch an urgent review into decriminalising the non-payment of the BBC licence fee in the wake of his election triumph.
“The move, which is bound to trigger a showdown with the corporation, comes as Downing Street has decided to impose an effective boycott of Radio 4’s flagship news programme over allegations of pro-Remain bias”, says the paper.
It comes after senior Tories threatened to “review” Channel 4’s licence when it empty-chaired the prime minister for refusing its climate debate.
Having pledged to limit judicial review - the legal mechanism by which the government can be constrained to act in accordance with law - in its manifesto, Jolyon Maugham in Prospect says “this government will now claim to be armed with a democratic mandate to curtail the ability of judges to scrutinise”.
Writing before last Thursday’s election, Polly Toynbee in The Guardian warned that “Johnson, free from those restrictions, will unpick the relationship between the government, parliament and the courts; the functioning of the royal prerogative; the role of the House of Lords; and access to justice for ordinary people”.
“Be very afraid, as Johnson takes revenge on the legal system, on remainers, on human rights and on any democratic aggravations that stand in his way” she adds.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - May 4, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - reflections in the pond, riding shotgun, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 high-caliber cartoons about Kristi Noem shooting her puppy
Cartoons Artists take on the rainbow bridge, a farm upstate, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is the world running low on blood?
Podcast Scientists believe universal donor blood is within reach – plus, the row over an immersive D-Day simulation, and an Ozempic faux pas
By The Week Staff Published
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claims
Speed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Is David Cameron overshadowing Rishi Sunak?
Talking Point Current PM faces 'thorny dilemma' as predecessor enjoys return to world stage
By The Week UK Published
-
How will honeytrap scandal change Westminster?
Today's Big Question Security procedures laid bare by spear phishing attack as focus shifts to 'political insider' being responsible
By The Week UK Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Farewell to Theresa May: a PM consumed by Brexit
Talking Point Maidenhead MP standing down at next general election
By The Week UK Published
-
Britain's biggest political donors
The Explainer With the 2024 general election set to be the highest-spending contest ever we look at who is giving to which party and why
By The Week UK Published
-
Can Boris Johnson save Rishi Sunak?
Today's Big Question Former PM could 'make the difference' between losing the next election and annihilation
By The Week UK Published
-
Badenoch, Johnson or 'full Trump': who is the future of the Tory Party?
Today's Big Question Tory moderates are preparing to do battle with the right of the party in a post-Sunak leadership election
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published