Hat-tip: Adam Connell
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Tag Archives: transition 2010
Public service announcement
Royal endorsement of Nick Clegg as DPM is constitutional first
Something constitutionally remarkable happened last night: Her Majesty the Queen seemingly appointed a Deputy Prime Minister, something that has never before happened in the UK. In July 1962 Liz was asked by PM Harold Macmillan to recognise Rab Butler as his deputy and she refused, on the basis that the sovereign would not wish to prejudice the selection of his successor.
This constitutionally-erroneous minister has been the subject of numerous debates over the previous 50 years. In the 1970s Labour governed with two deputies: Labour deputy leader (and drinker) George Brown and “First Secretary of State” Barbara Castle.
Margaret Thatcher’s close shave at the seaside in 1984 raised questions around temporary succession of power in the event of the death or incapacity of the Prime Minister and whether or not a peer (Willie Viscount Whitelaw was her deputy) could realistically serve as PM, even if only temporarily. Yet for all the panic, following the resignation of Geoffrey Howe and fall of Thatcher in 1990 John Major managed to cope until 1995 without a deputy.
Prescott was fairly unique in being the elected deputy leader of the governing party who was also appointed Deputy Prime Minister – and was endowed with a super-department to boot. But his party successor Harriet Harman wasn’t to be so fortunate, given a plethora of titles none of which was DPM. Indeed, Lord Mandelson’s subsequent appointment as First Secretary of State cast him as a combination of Barbara Castle and Willie Whitelaw. You can draw your own conclusions as to which comparison he’d prefer! In any case it has never been certain what would have happened had Brown, in the words of many hacks, “had that massive coronary he was heading for”.
So now that Cleggover is regally appointed Deputy Prime Minister, does this actually mean anything? In short, no. Jim Wallace was acting First Minister of Scotland three times but no one ever expected he would permanently hold the post. He may well spin the role of DPM as being the second most senior man in government, but unless he secures a substantial policy brief it really will be little more than a token gesture.
Cameron kisses hands
Hat-tip: Conor Pope (@conorpope)
The coalition cabinet: announcements and rumours
FINAL UPDATE: As fun as this was on Tuesday evening, you can keep up with the latest over at the Guardian or ConservativeHome.
These are the rumours/announcements for the cabinet as they come in.
UPDATE 22:00 Rumours that the “Two Theresas” May and Villiers have been ousted from Work and Pensions and Transport, respectively. Where are the women going to come from?
UPDATE 22:35 Michael Gove has long been known to covet the Home Office. With David Laws taking over his former shadow role with the schools brief, does this clear the path to Marsham Street?
UPDATE 22:45 Journalists have been briefed that most departments will have a Liberal Democrat minister.
UPDATE 22:55 Fraser Nelson tweets: “Four other LibDems in Cabinet. Five year deal, election planned for 2015. No word on St Vince”. Interesting contradiction on Cable compared to NOTW.
UPDATE 23:05 Laura Kuenssberg suggests Chris Huhne for Home Office. So where for Gove?
UPDATE 23:10 Four Lib Dems in cabinet will be Vince Cable (mixed reports), Danny Alexander (Scotland), David Laws (Schools), Chris Huhne (rumour of Home Office).
UPDATE 23:45 Rumour of Michael Howard (back) to Justice. Did people vote Liberal Democrat for “prison works” part deux?
UPDATE 23:55 James Macintyre suggests Vince Cable for Business. Is Ken Clarke out?
UPDATE 12:05 Fraser Nelson reports Gove move has not been confirmed. Labourites have already spotted a 2008 Cameron promise for 1/3 women ministers. Current total = zero.
UPDATE 12:15 The Liberal Democrat Federal Executive have now endorsed the programme for government.
- Prime Minister: David Cameron
- Deputy Prime Minister: Nick Clegg
- Chancellor of the Exchequer: George Osborne
- Chief Secretary to the Treasury: Vince Cable (according to NOTW, Fraser Nelson unsure)
- Foreign Secretary: William Hague
- Health Secretary: Andrew Lansley
- Schools Secretary: David Laws (was Michael Gove)
- Defence: Liam Fox (contrary to previous rumours about Ashdown)
- Work and Pensions Secretary: Phillip Hammond (was Theresa May)
- Secretary of State for Scotland: Danny Alexander
And staff appointments:
- Henry MacRory has been given “Number 10 press job” according to NOTW. What exactly this means is unclear. The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman is still HMT communications director Steve Field, for the time being at least.
- Andy Coulson (role?)
- Gabby Bertin (role?)
You can also expect a clutch of people from his previous private office, such as Edward Llewellyn (Chief of Staff), Catherine Fall (Deputy Chief of Staff), Kate Marley (Diary Secretary), Caroline Preston and Andrew Sendorek (press officers) etc.
Play nicely, boys. And no arguments!
Labour Party website crashes under load of new membership applications
UPDATE: This was all fixed last night. You can join the fightback here.
Twenty people per minute are trying to join the Labour Party, thus the error page below:
This blogger’s mother is among them!
The removal men cometh
It’s all over. Scrapbook is hearing that it’ll be confidence-and-supply arrangement between a Cameron minority government and the Liberal Democrats.
- Lab-Lib negotiations “never really got off the ground”
- Talks between Tory and Lib Dem negotiators continuing at Cabinet Office
- Tory MPs put on standby for meeting “as late as 20:00 tonight”
Ready for an election later this year?
UPDATE 17:45 Re redacted claim on confidence-and-supply above, my source now says “yet again it appears you’ve printed total rubbish given to you by me”. MPs, eh?
*Yes, an archive photo used above – but too appropriate to pass up!