Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page A8

January 8, 2018

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » World

May to change cabinet, senior figures safe

Source: Agencies | 00:01 UTC+8 January 8, 2018 | Print Edition

British Prime Minister Theresa May said yesterday she would announce changes to her ministerial team soon, with media reports saying her foreign, finance, interior and Brexit ministers would keep their jobs in a reshuffle starting today.

After running a poorly-received campaign at a national election last year that badly damaged her authority, May is leading a delicately balanced minority government tasked with delivering Britain’s exit from the European Union. She is also under pressure to tackle a range of domestic policy problems.

May said ministerial changes were necessary following the departure of her long-standing ally and de-facto deputy prime minister Damian Green, who she forced to resign in December after he made misleading statements about pornography found on an office computer.

“Obviously, Damian Green’s departure before Christmas means that some changes do have to be made, and I will be making some changes,” she told the BBC in an interview filmed on Saturday for broadcast yesterday.

May said the reshuffle would come soon, but did not give any further details.

The Sunday Times said foreign minister Boris Johnson, finance minister Philip Hammond, interior minister Amber Rudd and Brexit minister David Davis would not lose their jobs in the reshuffle. The report did not cite its sources.

May is also expected to announce a new first secretary of state to replace Green — an important post with responsibility for maintaining unity in a cabinet still divided over the best approach to Brexit.

The Sunday Times said changes were aimed at bringing younger women and non-white lawmakers into the cabinet in attempt to improve the party’s image and regenerate support among voters.

May earned plaudits in Europe and at home in December by securing progress in the complicated process of leaving the EU, but her government has been criticized in recent days for raising rail fares and postponed hospital operations.

The Conservative Party is running neck and neck with the left-wing Labour Party in opinion polls and has been split by differences about what kind of relationship Britain should seek with the EU after it leaves the bloc in 2019.

The Sunday Times said the ministers who were expected to lose their jobs or move to different roles included Conservative Party chairman Patrick McLoughlin, education minister Justine Greening, business minister Greg Clark and Andrea Leadsom, the government’s leader in the lower house of parliament.

World


 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend