Have you heard the one about Private Pike and the MoD? It was the nickname given to Gavin Williamson when he was defence secretary in the Theresa May government. Allies of the then-chancellor Philip Hammond briefed the Dad’s Army jibe to the press in return for the young Williamson allegedly stirring up a backbench rebellion on defence spending. Williamson was pushing for billions more in funding for the armed forces — but No 10 and No 11 were unimpressed as they had other plans for the cash.
It’s precisely this scenario that Rishi Sunak is trying to avoid in the ministerial shake-up he is planning for when MPs return in the autumn. Reshuffles are hard to predict and rarely go to plan — just look at all the contradictory speculation that tends to fill the papers in the months leading up to one. But one thing is certain: he needs a new defence secretary. Last month, Ben Wallace pre-announced his resignation — saying he would leave the Cabinet at the next reshuffle as part of a phased exit from politics (he is stepping down as an MP at the next election).
