Out go the ‘male, pale and stale’
...as in comes a generation of ‘rising star’ women Tories
BORIS Johnson last night cleared out a generation of middle-aged white men in a bid to make the Tories look more diverse.
In a cull of the so-called ‘pale, male and stale’, the Prime Minister axed a string of long-serving men from the middle ranks of government.
Of nine middle and junior-ranking ministers sacked in the latest round of the reshuffle, culture minister Caroline Dinenage was the only woman.
Their replacements were dominated by women. Sources said more female MPs are set to join the Government today when the PM completes the reshuffle.
Downing Street said Mr Johnson was proud to preside over ‘one of the most diverse Cabinets in history’. Government sources said he wanted to maintain a ‘pipeline’ of talented women by promoting more to middle and junior ranks.
Ousted ministers included culture minister John Whittingdale, 61, veteran schools minister Nick Gibb, also 61, who has served in the role on and off since 2010, and Treasury minister Jesse Norman, 60.
Other ministers who faced the chop included minister for the disabled Justin Tomlinson, 44, local government minister Luke
‘Hope that is not the kiss of death’
Hall, 35, trade minister Graham Stuart, 59, Foreign Office minister James Duddridge, 50, and digital minister Matt Warman, 40.
Mr Warman had referred to himself as the ‘current broadband minister’ when answering questions in the Commons earlier the same day. When he was congratulated on the speed of the broadband rollout, he replied: ‘I hope that is not the kiss of death.’
Barrister Lucy Frazer, 49, replaced Mr Norman as financial secretary to the Treasury. Fellow barrister Victoria Atkins, 45, was promoted to minister of state level at the Ministry of Justice.
Former skills minister Gillian Keegan, 53, was also promoted to the middle ranks at the Department of Health. In an eye-catching appointment, little-known whip Maggie Throup, 64, will succeed Nadhim Zahawi in the highprofile role of vaccines minister.
Former care minister Helen Whately, 45, was shuffled sideways to the role of exchequer secretary at the Treasury.
It followed a Cabinet shake-up the previous day in which men were also the main victims. Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland and Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick were all sacked.
Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, said the reason the Prime Minister had carried out the reshuffle was because he ‘wanted to bring forward a number of women MPs’.
Mr Wallace said: ‘He’s determined to both level up not only in the country but also in my party’s representation around the Cabinet table.’
However, Sir Bob Neill, chairman of the Commons justice committee, yesterday described Mr Buckland’s dismissal as ‘unjust and outrageous’.
Another backbench Tory MP last night described the radical shake-up as ‘unfair’, adding: ‘It doesn’t pay to be a white man at reshuffle time.’
However, a number of men also received promotions. Rising star Neil O’Brien, who was first elected in 2017, was appointed to Michael Gove’s new housing department where he is expected to focus on the PM’s ‘levelling up’ agenda.
Lee Rowley, another MP from the 2017 general electoin intake, also joined the Government as a business minister.
Alex Chalk was promoted to the role of solicitor general. And Mr Johnson’s long-time ally Conor Burns was brought back into the government as a Northern Ireland minister. Analysis carried out by the Sutton Trust suggested the proportion of privately educated ministers fell slightly to 60 per cent, but is still far higher than the national average.
The figure was 64 per cent in Mr Johnson’s first Cabinet in 2019, and 65 per cent in a 2020 reshuffle, the charity said.
In its analysis of the educational background of the new Cabinet announced on Wednesday, it found the 2021 percentage for private education compares to 29 per cent when it comes to all MPs in the House of Commons and just 7 per cent of the wider population.