CABINET OFF THEIR BOXES
Ministers ordered to cut down TV appearances
Boris Johnson is cracking down on publicity-hungry ministers – and will fire them from the Cabinet if they are on TV too much.
The Prime Minister has given them three weeks to prove they are focused on keeping their heads down and running their departments instead of bigging themselves up on screen.
No10 policy unit head Munira Mirza is writing to all 32 Cabinet ministers with Mr Johnson’s warning not to let fame go to their heads.
A No10 source said: “Ministers will be told their ability to deliver the PM’s agenda will be the key demand – not building up profiles in the media, touring media studios and lunches with journalists.
“The post-Brexit reshuffle will reward competence. Delivery will matter more than profile-raising.”
Mr Johnson has also promised to keep out of the limelight, telling officials to strip back on his travel and official engagements.
Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg has already been banned from the airwaves for insulting Grenfell fire victims. He told a radio phone-in it would have been “common sense” to flee the 2017 inferno and ignore fire brigade advice to stay put.
Mr Rees-Mogg has already been marked for the sack when Mr Johnson reshuffles his Cabinet in February.
Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom, Welfare boss Thérèse Coffey and International Trade supremo Liz Truss are also under threat. Treasury Secretary Rishi Sunak has been earmarked for promotion. The PM is planning to slim down his Cabinet by scrapping some departments and merging others.
The source said: “We’ve been impressed by Cabinet and junior ministers, who have quietly got on with driving real change.”
Mr Johnson intends to begin trade talks with Donald Trump as soon as the UK leaves the EU in 12 days.
Negotiators will also start thrashing out post-Brexit deals with Japan, New Zealand and Australia.
Today the PM flies to Berlin for an international conference on Libya hosted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The plan is for the UK, France, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, the US and the UN to broker a ceasefire between the warring factions in the country.
The PM said: “The escalating conflict is putting the lives of innocent people at risk and threatens to destabilise the whole region. It is essential countries come together to back UN-led efforts to end the crisis.”
At first sight it looks as if Boris Johnson is doing us all a favour by telling his Cabinet ministers they are not to swan around on TV any longer.
But have we got news for you. The PM’s move is not about sparing us boredom. It’s about manipulation and control.
He doesn’t want the likes of Andrew Neil, Andrew Marr or Robert Peston monstering his ministers in case they get caught out.
And the PM will lead by example. By never appearing on Have I Got News for You again.
Now that is good news.