Thursday, July 05, 2007

More Tory Reshuffle News

These appointments are unconfirmed...

Andrew Murrison to defence.
Mark Harper moved from defence
Nick Hurd to the whips office
Tobias Ellwood to DCMS
Mark Lancaster to Dfid
Andrew Rosindell to Home Affairs
Robert Syms leaves the front bench
Ben Wallace to Scotland as deputy to David Mundell
Robert Goodwill moved from the whips office
Mark Prisk stays at Business & Enterprise

UPDATE
Mike Penning to Health (not whips office, as I previously reported)
Justine Greening to Treasury
Anne Milton to Health
Mark Hoban stays in post
Jeremy Wright to the whips office

Perhaps the juiciest appointment so far is Paul Goodman's move to assist Sayeeda Warsi at community cohesion. Given his robust views on the muslim issue it's safe to say he has been appointed to 'keep an eye' on her. I also understand that Dominic Grieve will no longer cover diversity issues, which move to Community Cohesion. I have just spoken to Dominic Grieve who assures me that there will be a Community Cohesion 'troika' of himself, Sayeeda and Paul.

UPDATE 10.38am A commenter has said that David Ruffley moves to the Home Office team from Work & Pensions, presumably replacing Nick Herbert to cover police reform

UPDATE 11.27am Mark Simmonds to health
UPDATE 12.20pm Bob Neill to replace Jacqui Lait as Shadow Minister for London
UPDATE: 12.27pm Jacqui Lait to take on planning & development
UPDATE 2.34pm ConHome reporting David Burrows to Justice & ADam Afriyie to Skills & Universities
UPDATE 4.11pm James Clappison to Children & Schools

106 comments:

Anonymous said...

WHAT ???? No Nadine Dorries !!

Anonymous said...

Rosindale to Home Affairs!! Hanging and Flogginf back on the agenda then

Chris Paul said...

Still nothing for Nadine? I'm gutted.

CC said...

Would be a real shame if Harper's gone - genuinely talented sensible right winger, who's done excellent work in building links with veterans groups...

Anonymous said...

I have no idea who these people are.

Colin D said...

Hardly a leader in sight!!!

Anonymous said...

Iain,
Selling Tevez to Man Utd then?
The BBC seems to think so.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 10:03

We have no idea who you are. Shut it.

Anonymous said...

David Ruffley to Shadow Minister of State at the Home Office. Promotion.

Anonymous said...

Great to see Mike Penning getting health, show's we'll be continuing to put on a strong challenge on that issue. He's a big hitter in the truest sense (I can see why you thought Whip!).

Anonymous said...

how do you know all this stuff?

I know for a FACT that one of the people you have mentioned has not been offered the job formally.

Iain Dale said...

I said at the top of the post, they are unconfirmed. This info has come from various normally reliable sources within the party.

Last night I was told that Mike Penning was going tobe a whip. Turned out he has gone to Health. Which of the above appointments is wrong? Happy to correct.

Anonymous said...

Don't you mean Andrew **Rosindell** Iain?

Anonymous said...

Referring to a story from yesterday. The accusation about Tony Lit not be a registered voter is still the lead item on http://www.tom-watson.co.uk/

Grant Shapps needs to follow through on his threat to pursue Labour on this.

Anonymous said...

I'll be interested to see what, if anything, DC does about the Broon's appointment of ministers for the English Euro-Regions.

Will they be shadowed?

And I wish Brown could be challenged on his annoying phrase "The Nations and Regions of Britain", by which he is presumably trying to airbrush England out as a political entity.

Anonymous said...

So that's the cunning Tory plan!!

Fill up the front benches with nobodys that nobody knows, and the whole of the United Kingdom will rush out and vote them in!

Superb!!

Gordon and his front bench full of known knowns that we all know must be terrified of either the short campaign or even the long one.

So what's the logic with Boris?

A known known that we know who is also a known unknown that we all don't know but liked by all unknowns that no one knows.

Dave should stick to sledging methinks.

I love Hilton.

Graeme Archer said...

Given his robust views on the muslim issue it's safe to say he has been appointed to 'keep an eye' on her. [ about Paul Goodman]

errr ... it could also just be that he's a Tory MP with a large number of Muslim constituents who has written knowledgeably about community cohesion? Am second to no-one in my love of conspiracy but sometimes a cigar is just an illegal smoking device, you know?

Anonymous said...

Fingers crossed for something good for Harper - thoroughly deserving of a promotion!

Anonymous said...

You are stealing a march on Conservative Home here, Iain. They haven't covered this at all.

Anonymous said...

Agreed! Harper worthy of promotion.
And a good one at that.

Colin D said...

Nothing on the new kid to be from Dover, Iain.

R wee forgotten????? or don't matter?

Anonymous said...

Has Bonking Boris been given anything.

Anonymous said...

Who has been saying that Grieve is not going to be dealing with diversity any more - would be odd that if true?

Theo Spark said...

You can't have a a man with military experience as shadow defence! What ever next? A Farmer at Defra.

Anonymous said...

Some of these are unknowns even in their own households. But I'm not sure Gary Elsby is right that many of the equivalent Labour bods are any better known. Look down the official list of Parly Under-Secs etc.

But, bearing in mind your reader survey's categories of occupations that you offer (every possible variety of political nerd/lobbyist etc listed, but then most of the rest of the economy all lumped under "Other"), perhaps these appointments mean oodles for many of your readers.

When the news is firm it would be interesting for you to start a new thread actually telling us something about them and analysing whether it implies anything in terms of the sense of direction.

Anonymous said...

Hmm, thrilling.

Anonymous said...

Well Gary Elsby, you may not recognise these names, but I do - and perhaps you could bear in mind that other than Royalty and Leo Blair, few of us are born famous. Dare I say that 20 years ago, few people nationwide would have recognised the name Gordon Brown?

Anonymous said...

Any news on Hugh Robertson and his sport portfolio?

Anonymous said...

What about Bonkers Dorries ??

Hasn't she been given ANY thing ??

Anonymous said...

vurrister @ 10:25

I realise you have no idea who I am. It doesn't matter. I'm not asking you to vote me into government. On the other hand these non-entity zero profile jokers are. The rest of the country knows the names of three Tories. Dave, Boris & Thatcher (blessed be her name). Really, that's it.

Until the Tories get some name recognition for the rest of their team no one outside the world of political anoraks is going to care. And until the majority of the country start to care who the Tories have on their front bench team they will not vote for you. So Gordon will continue to be PM and the Tories will continue to be in Opposition.

Anonymous said...

Load of strangers, doing jobs as irrelevant as their party and the leader who has absolutely no appeal to normal folk.Most who post on this blog are not normal,and are also irrelevant.They honestly believe because Gordon was a little nervous the other day that swarms of Labour voters will rush over to that loon Cameroon.Watched him during PMQs' as Gordon struggled. He came across as a slimy individual, and Gordon came across as a man taking on the biggest job this country can offer.I would have been bloody nervous.You will not win the next election you know,your party is made up of a load of lightweight toffs.This crowd looks like a selection from the '20s not 2007,your going back not forward.We who vote Labour love Cameroon and Boris, it is they and folk like them that will win us the next election.You have no idea how you are perceived,you are still the nasty party and are destined to be in opposition for all eternity.

Anonymous said...

OK, Judith,I see what you're saying.

You reckon that 'Tobias Ellwood' is is a Prime Minister in the making and I'm just overlooking him.

OK,OK, I'll run with that. My mistake.

Sorry.

Gary

Anonymous said...

Gary Elsby said...
So that's the cunning Tory plan!!

Fill up the front benches with nobodys that nobody knows, and the whole of the United Kingdom will rush out and vote them in!

Agree with you and that's a first.

Anonymous said...

gary elsby stoke said... You reckon that 'Tobias Ellwood' is is a Prime Minister in the making and I'm just overlooking him.

I think he was in "Great Expectations" if I am not mistaken.

Anonymous said...

Still nothing for Nadine ?

Sigh, I can tell this is going to be a long wait...

Anonymous said...

"Until the Tories get some name recognition for the rest of their team no one outside the world of political anoraks is going to care"

In 1997, a poll on shadow cabinet recognition three months before the elction showed the generalpublic were only aware of Tony Blair, Robin Cook, and Gordon Brown.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
What about Bonkers Dorries ??

Think Dorries should go for Cameroons job,it's what the voters would want.Perhaps with Boris as her deputy.

Anonymous said...

labour are best - perhaps Widdy Web could mentor Nadine Bonkers, and take her under her wing, as a way of getting rid of the 'Dorris Karloff' jokes so unkindly made at her expense

Anonymous said...

labour are best - good plan; I hear Nadine 'gypsy' Dorries has all the 'travelling community' vote sewn up..

Aralio said...

I just did the Iain Dale's Diary opinion poll and I thought it was about broadening the blog's reach and appeal.

Rolling updates on shadow nobodies is rather niche isn't it?

One big post at the end of all the musical chairs I can understand but 'breaking news' this ain't.

Anonymous said...

off topic, but...

There is a particularly good natured debate on BBC Parliament on higher education. John Denham and David Willets have been having the kind of exchanges that shows the Commons at its best.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

labour are best - good plan; I hear Nadine 'gypsy' Dorries has all the 'travelling community' vote sewn up..

I'd heard that,she's a winner is our Dorries.The dream team Dorries and Boris,what do you think?

Anonymous said...

Who'll speak for us fish? We deserve a better herring...

Anonymous said...

I woild like to complain about you showing Mr Brown with his trousers down. It is disgrace. Don't you know he is Scottish You should have used a kilt.
Hey buy the way why do you you only use google adsense why do you no use trade doubler.
http://www.lonympics.co.uk/Trade%20Doubler.htm
It is Swedish so we keep cash in Europe supporting a left wing ecnomy.

Anonymous said...

wrinkled weasel said...

off topic, but...

You know the rules by now wrinkled surely.Keep on topic there's a good fellow.I don't want to have to tell you twice,O.K.

Anonymous said...

eric the fish said...

Who'll speak for us fish? We deserve a better herring...

wish I'd said that.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm. Who will 'keep an eye'on either of the 'community cohesion' bods re: their dismal record on the acceptance of homosexuality...

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

labour are best - perhaps Widdy Web could mentor Nadine Bonkers, and take her under her wing, as a way of getting rid of the 'Dorris Karloff' jokes so unkindly made at her expense

Your a saint,what a kind thought.Bless you.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

I woild like to complain about you showing Mr Brown with his trousers "down".

It's "doon" not "down"

Anonymous said...

judith said...
Dare I say that 20 years ago, few people nationwide would have recognised the name Gordon Brown?

OR "Madonna" Judith ?

Anonymous said...

Pick any of the names listed then google them. Majority are either floppy haired “rah rah rrahh we’re going to smash the oiks” brigade, having recently come out of their military officers’ commission, ( In the rear with the gear ). Or they are jolly hockey stick pony girls, turned up polo shirt mummy types.

Anonymous said...

Colin D said...

Hardly a leader in sight!!!

Colin are you looking for a new leader then ?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

Pick any of the names listed then google them. Majority are either floppy haired “rah rah rrahh we’re going to smash the oiks” brigade, having recently come out of their military officers’ commission, ( In the rear with the gear ). Or they are jolly hockey stick pony girls, turned up polo shirt mummy types.

That is called a Tory Party.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

Hmmm. Who will 'keep an eye'on either of the 'community cohesion' bods re: their dismal record on the acceptance of homosexuality...

July 05, 2007 1:09 PM

INDEED... so far all of the names Iain has listed are against equal rights for gay people, pro fox hunting pro Iraq, yet strongly against any new anti-terrorism laws.

Anonymous said...

what about shadow minister for women or don't the tories have one?

Anonymous said...

There seem to be a lot of NuLab trolls out today - wouldn't your lazy public service days be better spent dealing with the floods and looting disaster in the North? Or planning on what to do when the economy finally implodes in the not too distant future? Idiots.

Newmania said...

How do people follow who all these people are .I spend most of my time following politics in one way or another. Books , magazines, papers and so on .Nonetheless the vast majority of these people mean nothing to me and I could not tell you whether their oppos were better known.
Take Gary Ellsby , for example , a conspicuously dim commenter who demonstrates mountainous ignorance regularly .But what do I see , he claims to know every Tom Tit in the Labour Party.
Is there a fanzine? Can you buy stickers from a garage and paste them lovingly into a cardboard House of Parliament for prizes. I `d love to know.

Anonymous said...

BaldockBaldrick said...

Iain,
Selling Tevez to Man Utd then?

Not be available for Camerons front bench then ?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

There seem to be a lot of NuLab trolls out today - wouldn't your lazy public service days be better spent dealing with the floods and looting disaster in the North? Or planning on what to do when the economy finally implodes in the not too distant future? Idiots.

July 05, 2007 1:33 PM

WHAT A CLASSIC TORY. This is why you will never win with "Camera On". Some one niggles you gently and straight away the nasty side is revealed. Public sector workers are all shirkers, your wish, nay desire, that the economy fails just to gain political points. No doubt those on the dole deserve to be. In fact you probably wish there were more.

You are all so pathetic; any criticism means you are by default a “NuLab Troll”. I could be a Lib, a UKIP. a Green, a Nationalist, or just may be someone how thinks Cameron is hopeless.

Anonymous said...

Newmania said...Take Gary Ellsby , for example , a conspicuously dim commenter who demonstrates mountainous ignorance regularly .

Gary is not going to be chuffed with that I feel Newmania ,not at all chuffed.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

There seem to be a lot of NuLab trolls out today - wouldn't your lazy public service days

I'm retired friend, and taking the .... out of silly folk like you is what I now do.

Anonymous said...

Anon.1.33 Bless!

Anonymous said...

FAO Anonymous ( The retired one )

Not many Tories talking about Camerons comments on Hizb ut Tahir today.

oohhhhh... I wonder why ????

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said: "I've had enough of anonymous comments on here."

Quite right. There are far too many.

Anonymous said...

Can I just make yet another reference to Nadine Dorries?

Anonymous said...

Newmania said...

How do people follow who all these people are .I spend most of my time following politics in one way or another. Books , magazines, papers and so on .

Bit of an intellectual then you would say,a man of letters.A Labour supporter Newmania.This blog needs folks like you.

Anonymous said...

Nadine Dorries fanatic said...

Can I just make yet another reference to Nadine Dorries?

Yes.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said: "I've had enough of anonymous comments on here."

Quite right. There are far too many.

I second that.

Anonymous said...

Never heard of these people - and really don't care. YAWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

what about shadow minister for women or don't the tories have one?

That would be Boris.

Anonymous said...

Who is Boris Johnson.Is he that guy who advertises Turkish delight?

Newmania said...

Suddenly inchoate glee overcame the creature and he began to make low barking sounds almost like real laughter. Finally his simian digit , shadowed by a sympathetic tongue rewarded the painful concentration and the sentence was typed


Not be available for Camerons front bench then ?


Shrieking with spasms of pleasure he rocked in rapturous contemplation of his work. “Funny’ he grunted “ Funny words” .Idly he picked a flea from his pelt quickly consuming it ....

Christopher Glamorgan said...

Iain, you really have to get yourself elected to parliament. This is not healthy for you :>D

Anonymous said...

Anon 1.55 That's Norris not Boris.
Understandable mistake.

Anonymous said...

Anon 12.22,

The general public have rarely heard of the junior posts. How many people do you expect have heard of Bob Ainsworth, Kitty Ussher, Steven Timms or Gareth Thomas. All hold pretty important governemnt positions yet have zero public presence.

For any party to win an election it does not require the public to know the entire front bench, but that the message is delivered effectively. This only takes a handful of key people who are capable of delivering it. Few people voted Labour in 1997 because they thought Jack Cunningham would do wonderful things for agriculture.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

Anon 1.55 That's Norris not Boris.
Understandable mistake.

Thanks,silly me.

Anonymous said...

Who are these people?

Why do they pester us so?

What have we done to deserve this?

Anonymous said...

Few people voted Labour in 1997 because they thought Jack Cunningham would do wonderful things for agriculture.

No but most thought he would do great things for Jack Cunningham without going to jail like his father

Anonymous said...

Will there be lots of Boris's old biking friends coming along to support him when he stands.
And which lucky so and so will pick up his Henley seat at the bye election.
For Boris's sake I hope this isn't another dave /Hilton "you know what" up!

Anonymous said...

Two people now on the "community cohesion" gravy train. What the hell is "community cohesion" (given that Britain is 95% indigenous Britons and that we have never needed government assistance to get along with one another)?

Is there no area of British life that David Cameron does not think he can improve by getting personally involved in? I cannot for the life of me see how he differs from control freak Tony Blair.

I would appreciate an explanation of how these "community cohesion" people are going to occupy their days. Involving themselves in the lives of other people, perchance?

Anonymous said...

Boris, Norris, Schmoris!

Anonymous said...

The limit to my interest in politics is reached way before junior shadow ministerial appointments, I have to admit...

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 1.27: Oh I say, old boy, that's so awflly, awflly funny about Toff Tories!

I've just got my old butler to look up the background of Labour MPs, dontcha know, and one perceives they are all horny-handed sons of the toil who went on the Jarrow March, then worked down t'mines and sit in the Commons with their flat caps on and their whippets on a piece of string by their sides.

Bloody hilarious, as the old Nanny used to say, before we had to confine her to the attic in the west Wing.

Anonymous said...

West wing?

Daily Referendum said...

I see MPs have been accused of smoking in the commons toilets. One rule for us....

Anonymous said...

"I would appreciate an explanation of how these "community cohesion" people are going to occupy their days. Involving themselves in the lives of other people, perchance?"

Verity - let me explain. The Chambers English dictionary defines cohesion as the process of sticking together.

Ordinarily people take great care not to 'stick together' as walking around on the Underground would be impossible if people bumping into each other were to 'stick together'. However, under plans to make mass-transit more efficient there will be plans to make people of diverse backgrounds stick to each other, thus having to travel in the same direction, which will use less fuel, and allow the nation to meet those pesky 20% carbon reduction targets. Now I know you may think this is rather batty, but trust me it is more credible than the real story, and the truth is so much stranger than this fiction, it is the story we are going to have to sell to the voters, 'cos they are too smart to believe the truth about 'community cohesion'..

Anonymous said...

daily referendum wrote: "I see MPs have been accused of smoking in the commons toilets. One rule for us...."

The truth is probably that some scummy journalists did this and then decided to say it was MPs. Anyway, who cares? Relax and you'll live longer.

Anonymous said...

No-one has mentioned Nadine for a while.

Iain, can you please post some more? I am getting bored and you're not helping. Plus this junior shadow ministerial resuffle stuff is really dull!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said: "what about shadow minister for women or don't the tories have one?"

What about a minister for women's shadows?

Anonymous said...

re: smoking in the Commons toilets, I just paid a visit myself and the place absolutely reeks of smoke with ash all over the cubicles. Heh, the place gets more like a school by the minute...

Anonymous said...

Surely 'James Clappison' is the 'nom de plume' pseudonym of Nadine Dorries ?

Anonymous said...

The seeming absence of Boris J from this line-up might be a further signal of his intentions? Surely he would not just have been sacked?

Go Boris! London and the Party needs you.

Anonymous said...

John Penrose to stay as Letwins PPS for the policy review.

Anonymous said...

The odd thing about these dead people who have been promoted out of oblivion and into more oblivion is the entertainment value of it all.

Newmania should at least understand that to this simplistic socialist, who was at the heart of Thatcher's venom,any bad news for the Tories is music to my ears.

The best thing that can happen to these dead nobody's is for Dave to sack them at once.

They then would be famous and we'd all want to know why they were sacked. The press would cut forests down to supply the print.

The new current bunch of dead people will only add to the morticians,Hague and Davis.

Keep it up Dave/Hilton. I love you pair.

Anonymous said...

gcj said...

John Penrose to stay as Letwins PPS for the policy review.

Thanks for that.

Anonymous said...

Gary Elsby said...

Don't worry Gary I think Newmania's on something.Have you seen his last post ?

Anonymous said...

Newmania said...

Suddenly inchoate glee overcame the creature and he began to make low barking sounds almost like real laughter. Finally his simian digit , shadowed by a sympathetic tongue rewarded the painful concentration and the sentence was typed


Not be available for Camerons front bench then ?


Shrieking with spasms of pleasure he rocked in rapturous contemplation of his work. “Funny’ he grunted “ Funny words” .Idly he picked a flea from his pelt quickly consuming it ...

Mine was funnier.

Anonymous said...

'David Burrows'? Do you mean David Burrowes, MP for Enfield Southgate (and impressively prolific breeder)?

For a moment you had me thinking that the former chairman of the Solicitors Family Law Association had turned his hand to politics...

Anonymous said...

Can I have a 99 flake with raspberry ripple ?

Anonymous said...

Gosh a 'ton up' and to think Guido was dismissing this as 'too much detail'.. Where can he have got that idea from ?

Anonymous said...

I'd like to put Nadine Dorries in Comment, sorry, Room 101...

Anonymous said...

Surely the dullest day on the ID diary for a long while. When hours have been occupied by commentary revolving around Oliver Letwin's PPS and (probably) Cameron's fag boy's fag boy then you are left to wonder the value of the internet ;) I had to do some work today because this was all SO dull and irrelevant.

Iain Dale said...

Well, I do have a day job too you know! Sorry I can't be prolific all the time!

Anonymous said...

Iain, I hope the alternative activity was more fun. I can assure you that I shall loyally return when we (you) get back to some meat. BTW - why no mention of Brown's constitutional stuff? I see the Power Inquiry dabs all over it - the language was almost identical - and that pleases me. Or maybe some more on the VERY loose cannon that is Sayeeda Warsi?

Anonymous said...

Iain - tip for your readers survey - please do not repeat such detailed coverage on a junior Ministerial reshuffle - a tory geekfest and dull, dull, dull.

Anonymous said...

As far as I am concerned, this list of people I have never heard of being appointed to totally useless jobs is as interesting as reading the staff roster at the local Boots. So bloody what?