Drained of authority after weeks of Tory chaos and partygate scandals, Boris Johnson has embarked on a mini-reshuffle of his top team.
The Prime Minister removed Jacob Rees-Mogg from the prestigious role of Commons Leader and gave plum promotions to those who defended Downing Street during a period of high turbulence.
But arguably the most important appointment is that of Chief Whip, the figure tasked with maintaining order and getting the government's business through the Commons - Chris Heaton-Harris.
Switching his top Commons enforcer, after Mark Spencer's near-two years in the role, is a sign that the PM fears he is losing the ability to command restless MPs.
As No10 plots a route through the Met's ongoing probe into parties, the political fallout of the cost of living crisis, a potential leadership challenge and Keir Starmer's Labour flying high in the polls, Mr Johnson will need someone capable of imposing his will on a parliamentary party - many of whom have publicly made clear they want the PM to quit.
In the MP for Daventry, he has chosen a self-professed "fierce Eurosceptic" and a former minister of Theresa May's administration.
He will have an intimate knowledge of colleagues' viewpoints and parliamentary procedure overall having previously risen through the whips' office ranks to be Deputy Commons Leader. As a former MEP, he also acted as Chief Whip for the Tory group in Brussels.
And if Mr Johnson hopes to stem the flow of letters to the 1922 Committee demanding a confidence vote, it is crucial his operation shows competence and avoids debacles such as the Owen Patterson lobbying vote scandal, in which whips badly misjudged the mood and No10 was pushed into an embarrassing U-turn.
He will hope his new Chief Whip can steady the ship and keep MPs from cornering the PM into changing course and appearing weak.
As a Minister, Mr Heaton-Harris has also demonstrated a willingness to wade into the culture wars - something the PM will prize highly if reports are correct he is considering an early general election.
The 54-year-old was accused of "McCarthyism" when he wrote to professors involved in teaching European affairs asking them to disclose what they were teaching “with particular reference to Brexit ”.
He will be supported by new Assistant Chief Whip Heather Wheeler, another Leave-backing Johnson loyalist. She is popular with MPs but unsuccessfully challenged Sir Graham Brady for the chairmanship of the key 1922 Committee of backbench MPs in 2021.
The changes in the Whips' office show a Prime Minister hoping to demonstrate a renewed drive to "get on with the job" to mainstream Tories.
It also reveals his anxiety to strengthen the muscle of his Brexit-backing base as he eyes the bumpy road ahead.
