Critics might have dismissed Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle as little more than a rearranging of the Whitehall deckchairs , but the Prime Minister believes that it will help the Government better deliver on its priorities. Indeed, he used the opportunity created by the need to appoint a new Conservative Party chairman – now Greg Hands – to launch a broader rationalisation of several government departments. The changes have the virtue of making some logical sense. The former Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has been dismantled , with responsibility for energy security and net zero handed to Grant Shapps. It might be thought that these two ambitions are in conflict – with the embrace of green technologies leaving the UK vulnerable to swings in international energy prices – but at least this policy area will be the sole responsibility of a single Cabinet minister. A new department focused on science, innovation and technology, led by former culture secretary Michelle Donelan, also has some promise. Proponents of the change believe that government efforts in these areas have suffered from being insufficiently joined up, though Ms Donelan will have to guard against the temptation to pick winners. Lucy Frazer, meanwhile, […]
A big opportunity for Kemi Badenoch
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