Boris has set out his stall and re-shaped the government team – all within a day of getting into Number Ten.
PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:
Just before Boris Johnson became the 77th Prime Minister and the 14th under the Reign of Queen Elizabeth the Second, some political commentators were casting doubt on the ability of Boris to make decisions, saying that he just wants to be liked by everybody.
Well, we haven't seen any of that in his less than 24 hours into the post, have we?
He gave a visionary and barnstorming speech setting out both his domestic and Brexit agendas leaving people in no doubt about there he stands.
He has appointed the Vote Leave campaign brains and go-getter, Dominic Cummings, to the job of spearheading the do or die Brexit in the next 98 days.
He has sacked ministers and completely re-shaped his cabinet, in what is being called a summer's day massacre. With the Telegraph saying it is the biggest cabinet cull in sixty years.
He got rid of 17 ministers and brought many more Brexiteers into the team, taking the split from less than 25% being Brexiteers to just about a 50:50 split. With all of them being required to sign up to leaving the EU on the 31st of October – come what may.
A host of well known Brexiteers have been brought in, like Priti Patel taking over at the Home Office, Dominic Raab goes to the Foreign Office and Andrea Leadsom becomes Business Secretary.
And the chairman of the European Research Group, Jacob Rees-Mogg gets his first ministerial post by becoming the Leader of the House of Commons and also the Lord President of the Council, which for those that aren't aware this refers to the Privy Council and means that he will attend all Privy council Meetings.
Rees-Mogg is also a bit of a parliamentary procedure buff, so that will help when the government needs to take account of any of the more irregular procedural activities that the Speaker of the House, John Bercow, might want to engage in. Although I'm sure Mr Bercow has enough self-confidence in his own ability to keep one step ahead of Rees-Mogg. Could be quite an interesting spectacle.
Other notables are that Steve Barclay stays as Brexit secretary while Michael Gove becomes the Cabinet Office Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, with the job of overseeing all no deal Brexit preparations.
With Sajid Javid taking over as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
And what makes it worse for the left wing luvvies, is that it is a diverse cabinet.
Boris Johnson is not hanging about, he has stated his vision and put the team he wants in place to help deliver it – all within 24 hours.
Instead of worrying about his minority government position, he is boldly telegraphing his commitment to leaving the EU on the 31st of October to the country, to Brussels and to the world.
He is pitching his energy and vision of hope and aspiration against the dark mutterings of gloom, doom and despondency.
And the electorate will pick up on this, despite the best efforts that will be made by the mainstream press to hide it and divert attention.
And the harder Boris and his team work towards that vision of hope, the harder it will become for Jeremy Corbyn as the leader of the opposition, to justify launching a vote of no confidence knowing that a Boris Johnson led Conservative Party would probably carry the day and potentially annihilate his party.
People say that governments live or die by parliamentary arithmetic. Is Boris about to change that arithmetic in his favour?
Jeremy Corbyn's personal standing in the polls is not good and his party's confusing stance on Brexit does not help.
As Theresa May said in her last PMQs yesterday, maybe it's time for the leader of the opposition to consider his own position.
And in the final analysis, Boris Johnson has turned the Conservative Party and government Juggernauts to a new course within a day.
Jeremy Corbyn has been at the helm of the Labour Party for nigh on four years and despite a good result in 2017, now has little to show for it.
But, the new leader of the Lib Dem party of Remain, Jo Swinson, has today tabled an early day motion for a vote of no confidence in the new Prime Minister and is calling for Jeremy Corbyn to follow it up with an official vote of no confidence in the government, something only he can do.
In a letter to Jeremy Corbyn, Jo Swinson writes:
"You must not sit back and allow this government to crash our country out of the EU. We implore you to take action and call for a vote of no confidence. It is vital that we work together to secure a people's vote with the option to stay in the EU."
The motion itself says:
"That this House has no confidence in the Prime Minster; rejects the option of the UK crashing out of the EU; and rejects the option of Parliament being prorogued before Friday 8 November 2019."
I doubt very much that this motion will be moved for debate and vote though.
But it shows that the Remainers won't ever give up. So Brexiteers must stand as firm as ever.
Sources:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/brexit/9579126/boris-johnson-leave-dominic-cummings-brexit/
https://brexitcentral.com/we-finally-have-a-cabinet-that-believes-in-brexit-how-boris-johnsons-top-team-shapes-up/
https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/53201/no-confidence-in-the-prime-minister