Rishi Sunak’s mini cabinet reshuffle reveals that the unity his premiership was supposed to beget is a facade. The shake-up was triggered by the departure of the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, who was seen as an effective Whitehall operator. By contrast, Grant Shapps, described as a “lightweight” by the ConservativeHome website, is now in charge of the defence of the realm. His replacement as energy security and net zero secretary is Claire Coutinho, a Sunak loyalist with limited top-table experience. Both have ended up being moved because Mr Sunak, languishing in the national polls as an election looms next year, bet this summer that he would gain by siding with motorists and consumers against environmental policies in a cost of living crisis.
However, Mr Sunak badly misjudged voter sentiment on climate issues. His rhetoric and policy shifts have not moved the polls, but have instead highlighted Tory divisions, including within the cabinet. Mr Shapps’ problems began when his energy bill became a battleground between pro-green, climate-sceptic and free-market Conservatives. This saw the business and trade secretary, Kemi Badenoch, the current darling of the Tory right, able to promote her own anti-green agenda, making Mr Sunak look weak for failing to push back. Ms Coutinho will have her work cut out to prevent major rebellions when the bill returns to the Commons next week. If she fails on this key policy question, Mr Sunak will find it harder to claim he is chief of the Tory tribe.
