UK General Discussion: Rishecession

[Torrain]

Dominic Raab just pitched up in Downing Street - broadly tipped to be headed to either the Home Office or Dept. of Justice.

Rigby speculating on Sky that walking in first means it's one of the Big 3, with Chancellor least likely for obvious reasons but weirdly still non-0.

Hunt for Chancellor, Raab for the Home Office, and Mordaunt/Cleverly/etc at FCO seems plausible today - although I'd expect a reshuffle to put a closer political ally at No.11 in early 2023.

[Torrain]

New arrivals in Downing Street:

• James Cleverly (current Foreign Secretary)
• Oliver Dowden (former Culture Sec, Party Chair) - thought to want the Education brief, which would ruffle some serious feathers given his very Americanised "anti-woke" crusade over the past 18 months. Also discussed as Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster - running the cabinet office.
• Nadhim Zahawi (current Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster)

[brucejoel99]

New arrivals in Downing Street:

• James Cleverly (current Foreign Secretary)
• Oliver Dowden (former Culture Sec, Party Chair) - thought to want the Education brief, which would ruffle some serious feathers given his very Americanised "anti-woke" crusade over the past 18 months. Also discussed as Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster - running the cabinet office.

Zahawi now too.

[Torrain]

https://twitter.com/10DowningStreet/status/1584924178154668033
Groundhog day. Also, first Deputy PM to serve non-consecutive terms.

[brucejoel99]

Bill of Rights Act 2023 ❌

Bill of Rights Act 2023 (Repeal) Act 2025 ✅

[Zinneke]

why do the journalists shout at them as they enter Number 10? They clearly are not going to answer?

[Torrain]

why do the journalists shout at them as they enter Number 10? They clearly are not going to answer?

I think it's something about getting them to turn around for photographers? And eliciting some telling facial expression while you're doing it.

[brucejoel99]

why do the journalists shout at them as they enter Number 10? They clearly are not going to answer?

They do on occasion, usually cheekily, but often enough to make asking worthwhile.

[brucejoel99]

Shapps & Cruella have gone in since Zahawi, btw.

[brucejoel99]

https://twitter.com/GuidoFawkes/status/1584926638780956681https://twitter.com/10downingstreet/status/1584927862678867969

[Torrain]

https://twitter.com/10DowningStreet/status/1584928948005502978
Continuity cabinet continues...

[It's Perro Sanxe wot won it]

Suella Braverman back as Home Secretary? If another man is appointed to the Home Office, all Great Offices of State will be occupied by men for the first time since 2010.

[brucejoel99]

Continuity cabinet continues...

Indeed:

https://twitter.com/10downingstreet/status/1584930241289474049

[Antonio the Sixth]

I love how calls for Party Unity are now always immediately followed by this, hahaha.

If Tory MPs wanted unity, maybe they shouldn't have picked the guy who just lost to Truss less than two months ago. The fact that despite this Sunak immediately emerged as a frontrunner (and that the main alternative was someone even more flagrantly poisonous to any semblance of unity) shows that factionalism within the party has reached a breaking point that, amazingly, even Labour didn't reach in the worst days of Late Corbynism. Truly impressive.

[Torrain]

Gove inbound. Rumours suddenly abounding that he's back at Levelling Up & Housing.

[brucejoel99]

GOVE WALKING UP!!!

LET'S GOOOOOO!!!!

[Torrain]

Gove in July: “I’m retiring from frontline politics”
Gove in October: “Pleased to be joining the new PM’s cabinet after helping to depose the last one”

[Sestak]

https://twitter.com/10DowningStreet/status/1584931875965251585


LMAO

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Truss’ farewell speech went about as well as you’d expect. She tried to quote a Roman philosopher, and completely forgot how to pronounce his name. She smiled when she talked about the Queen dying. And they didn’t clear the protestors, so you could hear a combination of what I think was Yakety Sax and I Predict A Riot being played on boom boxes in the background.

"It was a sad scene as the outgoing premier set out for the Palace, clutching her ministerial red box like a life raft for the last time. As the limousine left Downing Street, Rihanna's 2011 hit 'S&M' could be heard playing faintly behind the bulletproof glass windows."

[brucejoel99]

Zahawi update:

https://twitter.com/pippacrerar/status/1584932973417181184

[Torrain]

Oh s**t - they made Zahawi Party Chairman. They’ve put their least loyal minister in charge of election strategy, while they’re 25 points behind in the polls. It’s the ultimate poisoned chalice.

Also - Zahawi is a co-founder of YouGov, so imagine we’re going to see a flurry of conspiracy theories about poll-rigging etc.

[brucejoel99]

https://twitter.com/10downingstreet/status/1584933806481764352

[TheTide]

https://twitter.com/10DowningStreet/status/1584931875965251585

LMAO

Every child's dream is to grow up to be Minister Without Portfolio.

[Sestak]

Badenoch into No. 10.

[Torrain]

Oh s**t - they made Zahawi Party Chairman. They’ve put their least loyal minister in charge of election strategy, while they’re 25 points behind in the polls. It’s the ultimate poisoned chalice.

Also - Zahawi is a co-founder of YouGov, so imagine we’re going to see a flurry of conspiracy theories about poll-rigging etc.

Just as a follow-up. Unless Sunak can convince Charles to bend the constitution, around 8 MPs are expected to leave the Commons via peerages granted in Johnson’s Resignation Honours.

If the Conservatives are still lagging 10-20% behind on the day the by-elections are held, there will be some rather embarrassing losses, and Zahawi would almost certainly be forced to resign, to shield Sunak.