Johnsons reshuffle rewards Brexiters, culture warriors and key fixers – The Guardian
Boris Johnsons cabinet reshuffle has included the promotion of culture warriors, more rightwingers and a string of his Brexiter mates, but his supporters claim the shake-up was more about getting key fixers in place to deliver policy before the next election.
Tory insiders point to the promotion of Nadine Dorries a friend of Johnsons wife, Carrie to culture secretary and Kemi Badenoch to minister of state as a sign that culture warriors are in the ascendancy in government. The new-look cabinet also includes four more Brexiters than before, with big jobs for Dorries, Anne-Marie Trevelyan as trade secretary, Nadhim Zahawi as education secretary, and Simon Clarke as chief secretary to the Treasury.
Dorries, a critic of the BBC and leftwing snowflakes, will be in charge of the future of the BBC licence fee, the politically sensitive decision on Ofcom chair, and the new online harms bill. Badenoch, who is a senior housing minister with a second portfolio on equalities, is seen as an anti-woke voice, who has spoken out against schools supporting the anti-capitalist Black Lives Matter group or uncritically teaching political race theory.
With Jacob Rees-Mogg, Priti Patel and Dominic Raab keeping seats at the top table, plus a promotion to foreign secretary for Liz Truss, a free marketeer and darling of Tory activists, there has been no shift towards the centre ground.
Anna Soubry, a former Tory who sat in cabinet under David Cameron, described the appointment of Dorries as appalling but said she thought the reshuffle was just as much an example of chums getting rewarded as a victory for rightwingers in the party.
There has been a huge shift to the right, which is obviously linked to Brexit, but this is actually a cabinet of people doing as they are told and dont rock the boat, plus he wanted to bring in his mates, she said.
Zahawi is a longstanding backer of Johnson, while Nigel Adams, a friend of the prime minister, got a promotion to the Cabinet Office and another of his inner circle, Conor Burns, was installed as minister of state in the Northern Ireland Office.
One Tory MP described the reshuffle as a mixed bag, saying there was an element of pandering to the culture warriors who want to talk about wokery all the time but also that the decision to appoint Zahawi over the hotly tipped Badenoch in education appeared to reward his competence in vaccines, rather than prioritising picking political fights.
The decision to send Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government also appeared designed to seek a compromise over planning reforms and delivery, rather than necessarily stoking a row.
Tory opponents of the culture war approach to politics point to the disastrous argument over England players taking the knee in Euro 2020, which at one point appeared to pit ministers against Gareth Southgates popular team.
The culture war faction inside Number 10 is led by a husband-and-wife team of senior advisers, Dougie Smith and Munira Mirza, who former Tory aides say really believe this stuff.
It definitely is those two along with some influential voices around them, said one former staffer, who also mentioned the former BBC editor Robbie Gibb.
However, they said, sometimes it comes down to whether Boris can be bothered to have a fight on this stuff and it did not appear to be either a priority or a personal campaign for him.
It is understood that Mirza and Smith had previously championed Badenoch as education secretary, apparently in the hope that she would take the fight against the liberal metropolitan elite into Englands classrooms. However, she ended up being moved to Goves department with a promotion.
James Duddridge, a longtime supporter of Johnson, who lost his job as a Foreign Office minister in the reshuffle, said he felt he had personally had a good innings and Boris needed to freshen the team.
Like McKinseys, I think there is a bit of up or out and he had to balance his team as well, he said. My view is that definitely some of the promotions are around meritocracy and how well youve done like Nadhim Zahawi and Will Quince. Theres a lot of talent bubbling up and another generation biting at the ankles even of the people who have been appointed now. And thats great.
Duddridge said there was a view that Dorries had defended the line internally and externally well; she is a good communicator.
I dont think shes been sent in to pick a fight or a punch-up. Shes been a high-performing minister going into a department where there are some tricky issues and where we are in a different place from say Guardian readers or lefty liberals and there does need to be a bit of a robust defence of that, he added.
Other Conservative MPs said there was an element of trying to promote those who could speak more naturally to red wall voters than traditional Tories. Clarke, a hardline Brexiter who represents Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, is one example, and will be holding the purse strings when it comes to money for levelling up, as the new chief secretary to the Treasury.
One senior backbencher said: You would think Nadine could better relate to red wall voters than Oliver [Dowden], so maybe shell give it all a bit more energy. But personally, Ive always thought the whole business of culture wars was a very minority sport at both ends of the market.
See original here:
Johnsons reshuffle rewards Brexiters, culture warriors and key fixers - The Guardian
- The charts that show youngsters are rejecting the Lefts culture wars - The Telegraph - April 3rd, 2025 [April 3rd, 2025]
- Beyond the culture wars: How mysticism can get us beyond polarisation - Catholic Outlook - April 3rd, 2025 [April 3rd, 2025]
- Work and money worry young people more than culture wars or climate, UK poll finds - The Guardian - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Ag Secretary Uses Purse Strings to Press Culture Wars in States - DTN Progressive Farmer - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Lionel Shriver: Trump has ended US culture wars but UK is lagging - The Times - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- No 10 happy to dip its toe into culture wars in row with Sentencing Council - The Guardian - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Canada ditches divisive culture wars for focused hyper-nationalism thanks to Donald Trump - Daily Maverick - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Disneys New Snow White Film Fights Culture Wars and Wins - Bloomberg - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- Culture wars reach the classroom: What is the best way to teach children about gender and identity? - The Irish Times - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- 'I thought we were done with the culture wars': Democrats push back on measure clarifying what makes school books 'harmful to minors' - Creative... - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- Letter: Culture wars drove me away from the GOP - Bangor Daily News - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Beth Ann Rosica: Pennsylvania culture wars to be waged in the courtroom - Broad + Liberty - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- I have a pathological need to be right: Ash Sarkar on culture wars, controversy and Corbyns lost legacy - The Guardian - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Alex Gibney to Exec Produce Doc About College Culture Wars and Freedom of Speech (EXCLUSIVE) - Variety - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Embrace of authoritarianism in US fueled by culture wars more than economy, study finds - The University of Kansas - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Memo to Hollywood: Theres No Running or Hiding From the Culture Wars - TheWrap - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Culture wars reach warfighters as area military bases ordered to scrub online content - Fredericksburg Free Press - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- The WA election campaign has been about big promises, but culture wars are inescapable in contemporary politics - The Conversation Indonesia - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- How the Right Hijacked the Working Class for Culture Wars - Social Europe - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Culture wars: Trumps takeover of arts is straight from the dictator playbook - The Guardian - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- A correspondence from the Culture Wars - Carter County Times - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Hands on Wisconsin: School children are pawns in the culture wars - The Daily News - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Is a Trump backlash on its way? Well, eggs are as expensive as ever and you cant eat the culture wars - The Guardian - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- How Donald Trump and his MAGA inner circle plan to win the culture wars - New York Post - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- Gaming Is Becoming More Diverse, Opening a New Front in the Culture Wars - New Lines Magazine - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- The Creed vs. the culture wars: Hunkered down in the Catholic demilitarized zone - America: The Jesuit Review - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- The Guardian view on class politics: it has faded as culture wars have risen | Editorial - The Guardian - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- US spending suggests that Irish culture wars are indeed imported by the Left - Gript - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- How Donald Trump and his MAGA inner circle plan to win the culture wars - NewsBreak - February 9th, 2025 [February 9th, 2025]
- Port: Not every issue has to be a part of the culture wars - INFORUM - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Jaguar May Prove to Be the Latest Casualty in Culture Wars - autoevolution - February 3rd, 2025 [February 3rd, 2025]
- Is language the key to resolving the WFH v back-to-the-office culture wars? | Emma Beddington - The Guardian - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Sundance: Tame Stories Reflect an Indie World Battered by Economics, Culture Wars - TheWrap - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Trump Pulls the Military Back Into Political and Culture Wars - The Seattle Times - January 27th, 2025 [January 27th, 2025]
- Trump Pulls the Military Back Into the Political and Culture Wars - The New York Times - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- March for Life in San Francisco Sparks Clashes and Culture Wars - SFist - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- The worlds most embarrassing inauguration was led by the Culture Wars President - The Independent - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- 'Culture wars' are costing school districts billions of dollars annually - Audacy - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Under The Malign Influence Of Trump, Britains Draining Culture Wars Are About To Get Even More Toxic - British Vogue - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Open spot will set future of this metro-east library board embroiled in culture wars - Yahoo! Voices - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Culture Wars And DJ Mailbox To Open For Maroon 5 Manila Concert - Billboard Philippines - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Trade Wars, Culture Wars, and Anti-Immigration: Trumps Big Promises - Kyiv Post - January 26th, 2025 [January 26th, 2025]
- Trans Georgians and allies brace for another year of culture wars in state Legislature - Decaturish.com - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- Trans Georgians and allies brace for another year of culture wars in state Legislature - Georgia Recorder - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- The Forgotten Book Genre That Explains a Lot About Todays Culture Wars - Slate - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- Simon Schama on the culture wars: There is a faint smell of the 1930s - The Times - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- The culture wars are coming for children with special needs Labour must tread carefully - The Guardian - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- AI chip race, antitrust challenges, and culture wars: What lies ahead for Big Tech in 2025 - The Indian Express - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- How to take climate change out of the culture wars - National Catholic Reporter - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Biblical grammar enters the culture wars - The Times of Israel - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Battles over books led the way in culture wars over education - Suncoast News - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- David M. Lantigua: At 88, Pope Francis dances the tango with the global Catholic Church amid its culture wars - TribLIVE - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Eggs, coffee, chocolate, and the culture wars: Foodtech in 2024 - AgFunderNews - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- #Woke to anti-woke, its the era of culture wars - The Times of India - January 1st, 2025 [January 1st, 2025]
- Disney withdraws from culture wars amid bruising encounters with Trump and DeSantis - The Independent - December 25th, 2024 [December 25th, 2024]
- Disney reportedly backing away from culture wars: Politics is bad for business - Fox8tv - December 25th, 2024 [December 25th, 2024]
- The Whole Hog End of Year Special: "Climate change has also been sucked into the culture wars" - hotpress.com - December 25th, 2024 [December 25th, 2024]
- Culture wars in the Church has innocent victims: The parishioners - Crux Now - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- At 88, Pope Francis dances the tango with the global Catholic Church amid its culture wars - The Conversation Indonesia - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Reilly Riffs on the Culture Wars - Bacon's Rebellion - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Woodstock: From World War to Culture Wars - New York Almanack - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Class, the Culture Wars, and Contempt for Politics: Why we Lost in 2024 - Daily Kos - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Democrats should abandon government force in culture wars - Washington Examiner - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Anthony Jeselnik Reclaims Gallows Humour From The Culture Wars On New Special 'Bones And All' - DeadAnt - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Kitchen-table issues, not culture wars, helped Democrats avoid 2024 wipeout - Washington Examiner - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Child Protection: Hungarys Far-Right Is Grabbing the Initiative in the Culture Wars - Balkan Insight - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Climate change and even tethered bottle caps have got sucked into the culture wars - The Irish Times - December 2nd, 2024 [December 2nd, 2024]
- Column | Can our spending habits help explain the culture wars? - The Washington Post - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Lawmakers Are Trying to Take the Culture Wars Out of Defense Budget Negotiations - NOTUS - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Religion-state separation is about to take center stage in the US culture wars - The Times of Israel - November 21st, 2024 [November 21st, 2024]
- Did Democrats lose on the economy or the culture wars? Three strategists weigh in - KUOW News and Information - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- In Conversation with Culture Wars: New Single It Hurts - Flaunt Magazine - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- No more faggots and Gypsy Creams! How the culture wars came for cookery - The Telegraph - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- Trump Will Bring The School Culture Wars To Every State - HuffPost - November 17th, 2024 [November 17th, 2024]
- How the mega-rich are throwing their financial heft into culture wars on college campuses - The Telegraph - October 18th, 2024 [October 18th, 2024]
- What kind of person would drag autistic children into the culture wars? The Kemi Badenoch kind - The Guardian - October 18th, 2024 [October 18th, 2024]
- Have hurricanes gotten swept up in the culture wars? - KCRW - October 18th, 2024 [October 18th, 2024]
- OUTRAGE: Movies and the Culture Wars, 19871996 - BAM | Brooklyn Academy of Music - October 18th, 2024 [October 18th, 2024]
- What is Platos Symposium, the classic book drawn into the Gender Queer culture wars? - The Conversation - October 18th, 2024 [October 18th, 2024]
- The EV Culture Wars Arent What They Seem - The Atlantic - October 7th, 2024 [October 7th, 2024]