Breaking News: Davis to stay at Home Affairs

Bad news for Fox if true...

David Cameron and IDS to launch social justice commission this afternoon...

Lots and lots to blog!

Comments

[RobD]

I'd like to see Fox as Deputy and Health now, it is a shame he won't get a top 3 job but I think he would excel if used as a fully fledged deputy rather than a Prescott style honorary one.

[Goldie]

Although I advocated sacking Davis, I now see why this is the better move. Davis has obviously agreed to support Cameron completely, i.e. he will work to quell any rebellion against Cameron's ideas to support Labour when necessary. The most important idea for the Tories now is to be disciplined, restrained, professional, unified. If the price of the support of Davis is for him to be Shadow Home, so be it. If Davis really believes that the Conservatives can change, and is prepared to finally be loyal now that his life-long dream of leading the Conservative Party is over for ever, he could actually be very effective for Cameron.

Fox would be good at Health and I would rather see him there, which should be high priority for us anyway, than at Defence or such.

[Rob]

Definetely agree, Fox should get the deputy and would be able to talk authoritatively on the NHS.

[Simon C]

Fox has been at health before, remember, and might want a pretty free rein on policy if he goes there again.

[Peter C Glover]

Well the deed is done. The Tory Party and the conservative mind are now truly set on divergent paths.

Might I suggest that with Forrest Gump now as leader the party change its title to something more attuned, perhaps the Vacuous Party? Still DC's illusion of success will at least bring temporary joy - or, more appropriately Ecstasy - to the millions who wanted more to avoid a third humiliating defeat than for the good of the country.

[RobD]

and he should get that free rein Simon, Health has to be one of the key areas we should be concentrating on and I can't think of anyone better than Fox to lead that side of the policy review.

[Rob]

Hopefully is Fox is sent to Health he will be given a free reign on policy, someone to finally challenge the consensus that the NHS is a good thing.

[Bishop Hill]

Rob

While sharing your scepticism about the NHS, my impression is that DC has set out his stall as being the man who will manage it better than Labour. Even if elected, he will have no mandate to break it up.

[energetic chairman needed]

Liam Fox for Party Chairman

[Simon C]

On the Politics Show, Andrew Neil & Nick Robinson were doing their best to portray Liam as the big loser in the new Shadow Cabinet. Cameron & his media team will have to take swift action to head that off at the pass. Fox's campaign set out a vibrant and compelling vision for our country which attracted a good deal of support and agreement - including amongst people close to DC (Michael Gove for one).

For reasons of Party unity, DC may decide to keep DD close. However, Liam and his ideas will be a key part of the Party's future, and he deserves a role that reflects that.

[tory worker]

"I'd like to see Fox as Deputy and Health now." Cameron is now rejecting the patient's passport and he's done the Health job for ages. Party Chairman and Deputy Leader--Fox is loyal, trustworthy, dependable, hard working and would help broaden support for reforming the party.

[James Hellyer]

I agree with Tory Worker. As David Cameron has rejected Dr Fox's Patient Passport, it's impossible to see the good Doctor back in the health portfolio.

[Coxy]

Fox was shadow health under Hague, and was said to be keen to move on from it - didn't want to be pigeon-holed.

Besides, Fox's radical policies (patient passports etc) are a bit too strong for Cameron, who seems to have accepted Labour's game of propping up a failing system.

Fox has also been party chairman (not many months ago), and if he became deputy leader, that would definitely be seen as a snub to Davis.

The sensible solution would be for Cameron to move Ozzy Osbourne from shadow chancellor, and let a proper politician do the job, rather than your buddy.

[Simon C]

If it's true that Davis has refused to budge from Home Affairs, Hague has refused to become Shadow Chancellor and Osborne has refused to step aside in favour of anyone except Hague...who is calling the shots?

This is all speculation of course, and Cameron is likely to have some surprises. It will be very interesting to see how his new Shadow Cabinet stacks up.

[Simon C]

Just listening to the Social Justice Commission launch on the web. It sounds promising - repeating Peter Lilley's view that social policy should be judged by its impact on the poorest and most disadvantaged in society.

This is encouraging. It is good to see that his first public pronouncement, after PMQs, is to set up this commission on social justice. It is good too that he is taking policy development in this area seriously. I voted for him because I believed he meant it when he said that he wanted to develop new and robust policy. This is a reassuring first step.

[malcolm]

Peter Lilley.That's a name that's diappeared from the airwaves.He was my MP when he was in Majors cabinet but I haven't heard anything from him for years.I wonder why he's been so quiet.

[James Hellyer]

Lilley did seem to have all but vanished after his own abortive leadership bid in 1997.

[Clare Lewis]

He would be an excellent choice as Party Chairman. Authoritative, intelligent, calm and consensual. I think the time has come for the individuals like David Willets to be sacked. He has never really contributed.

[Rob]

I wonder if Cameron might bring Lilley out of the shadows again? I remember reading a good pamphlet by him for the CPS not all that long ago, helped me through my Economics A level anyway.

[Clare Lewis]

I hear on the BBC that Redwood is keeping a place in the Shadow Cabinet. That is good news for party unity....bad news for the image change.

[Simon C]

DC didn't actually mention Peter Lilley by name - it's just that the test he applied - judging social reform by its impact on the poorest - is something that Peter Lilley used to say a great deal.

After 1997 Peter went on to be Shadow Chancellor, & Deputy Leader. His star dwindled after he closed one Party Conference with a song at the end of his speech. It wasn't a great moment.

[tory worker]

Please tell us we are going to get a decent Party Chairman. It's going to be a huge job. We have to have someone who is up to it.

[Simon C]

Apparently it's still Maude, according to a source at CCHQ

[Goldie]

where is the webcast re: Social Justice?

Clare: it's not really necessary to post the same comment in each and every thread.

[tory worker]

"Apparently it's still Maude, according to a source at CCHQ"

Therd are plenty of modernisers who could deliver this big reform of the party in a timely and efficient manner. He'll never get the work done. Cameron needs someone with a record of being able to deliver.

[Selsdon Man]

Was IDS offered that role before or after he declared for DC? Answer please, Ed.

[Simon C]

Goldie,

I saw the webcast live. It doesn't seem to be on the site now. They may post it again, who knows.

[Daniel Vince-Archer]

"He was my MP when he was in Majors cabinet but I haven't heard anything from him for years.I wonder why he's been so quiet."

I never knew you were a Hitchin lad Malcolm! (You'll probably tell me you're a Harpenden lad now.) As a Stevenageite (the shame), I feel I should probably hurl some gratuitous abuse at you, although I'll desist on this occasion!

"I hear on the BBC that Redwood is keeping a place in the Shadow Cabinet."

So much for modernisation then.

[CJ]

Maude stays as Chairman, Davis stays as Shadow Home Secretary, Hague comes in as Shadow Foreign, and Fox is moved to Shadow Defence, according to the BBC. Osborne stays where he is and Letwin is policy co-ordinator.

Thoughts?

[malcolm]

Harpenden was where I grew up but like most people couldn't afford to live there again after leaving University.Believe me,it was easy being a Conservative in Harpenden,there was no opposition!
I very much doubt that the rumour re Redwood is anything other than a rumour.I would imagine that Cameron has more important decisions to make first.

[malcolm]

As someone with a keen interest in matters military it would be good to have a heavyweight in that department.
Having said that it might be waste of Foxs talents.I would have preferred him for Health or party chairman where he already has some expertise.
I'm also not so sure about having Osborne as sHADOWChancellor would have preferred someone with more experience like Willets or Clarke who I think could seriously batter Brown and hopefully expose his dishonesty even before he becomes PM.

[James Hellyer]

I'd agree that Osborne looks like the weakest link in that line up. Having said that, I suspect someone like Clarke would send out the wrong message (man of the past and all that) of he was in a top job.

[malcolm]

You may be right James but like a football manager a nice blend of youth and experience always seems to work well.
More seriously when the going gets tough (and it will) it will be useful for Cameron to have alongside hime people who have been there before.
Blair dumped most of the Labour old guard so he could appear New with the result that we had some of the worst cabinet ministers of the modern era.It was a tremendous pity that weren't able to capitilise even against that motley crew.

[Rob]

Fox would be wasted at defence, if he ends up there surely Cameron must give him the deputy leadership, after all he did back Cameron and was only kept out of the final run off by tactical voting. Nick Robinson on the Daily Politics said Fox would be well looked after in the reshuffle, I hope so.

[James Turner]

Agreed about Clarke, James. By the same token, would he even accept the job? He was pretty firmly rejected by the parliamentary party anyway.

I think Osborne has been over promoted and I'd prefer to see him at the DTI or one of the public services jobs. But apart from his role in the Cameron circle I think the idea is to build this image of Cameron and Osborne as the top 2 right from the start.

I actually put myself in the same wing of the party as Maude politically but I've never thought particularly highly of him. Surely we have a more convincing candidate for the chairmanship?

[Chris]

Osborne was good versus Brown the other day. DC and GO versus Brown and x (who will be the next Chancellor assuming TB goes?) looks like a good bet to me - the bookies are beginning to agree.
Keep the vain, divisive Clarke out of the picture as tactfully as possible - after all the media love going to him for a divisive comment - one which he is always happy to deliver.

[Dave Carter]

"I actually put myself in the same wing of the party as Maude politically but I've never thought particularly highly of him. Surely we have a more convincing candidate for the chairmanship?"

They seem to be saying this on the BBC. I understand that there are a number of people in the Cameron camp who have expressed their doubts. If it is true--and I don't think the party has confirmed it--I think he could be Cameron's first big disappointment. He is very staff-dependent and it takes him ages to do anything.

[Rob]

Osborne for chairman? Fox for shadow chancellor?

[Chris]

"He is very staff-dependent and it takes him ages to do anything."
If this is true why waste any more time?
Good grief, if this party was a business it would be bust long ago...er, actually, did it go bust long ago?
Is there any chance that DC will be prepared / able to appoint the very best people? Do we not need a whole slew of new faces? Let's face it, no-one knows the old faces, and if they do, they don't like 'em.

[Goldie]

First appointments have been announced:

Hague-Foreign
Davis-Home
Osborne-Chancellor
Fox-Defence
McLoughlin-Whip

[Goldie]

Maude-Chairman
Letwin-Policy coordinator