Clean sweep for Cameron

David Cameron's highly anticipated cabinet reshuffle is starting to looking more like a clearing of the old guard than a change for the better. 

Just as Tony Blair tried to reinvent his party into New Labour Mr Cameron's changes are being seen by some analysts as a clean sweep to try and change the party and recoup ground after recent humiliating losses to UKIP and over Europe.

The two most notable scalps to step down are Ken Clark and William Hague.

Known eurosceptic Phillip Hammond is expected to leave his post as defence secretary, leaving space for Ian Duncan Smith to move out of the Department for Work and Pensions, where he has had a controversial time as the minister.

Despite reflecting a rise in Eurosceptic ministers the real focus of the reshuffle is the increase in the number of female members of the cabinet. It seems unlikely that Mr Cameron will meet his 2010 election pledge of having a third of his cabinet as women, however, this could represent the greatest move to equality in government for some time.

Explaining his decision to step down as foreign secretary Mr Hague said: "By the time of the general election next year, I will have served 26 years in the House of Commons and it will be 20 years since I first joined the cabinet. In government there is a balance to strike between experience on the one hand and the need for renewal on the other, and I informed the prime minister last summer that I would not be a candidate at the next general election.

"Accordingly I am stepping aside as foreign secretary, in order to focus all my efforts on supporting the government in parliament and gaining a Conservative victory in the general election – after four years in which we have transformed Britain's links with emerging economies, significantly expanded our diplomatic network and the promotion of British exports, restored the Foreign Office as a strong institution, and set a course to a reformed European Union and a referendum on our membership of it."

Ahead of official announcements analysts have predicted that  Esther McVey, the employment minister and former breakfast television presenter, Liz Truss, the childcare minister, Nicky Morgan, the women's minister, Amber Rudd, the whip, Anna Soubry, the defence minister, Priti Patel and Margot James, members of the No 10 policy board will all be given key places on Mr Cameron's cabinet.

Mr Cameron is known to have avoided too many significant reshuffles during the government's time in power, preferring instead to promote an idea of stability in his leadership. The change in so many key figures ahead of the general election next year has created some concern among political observers though.

Commenting on a report published today Emma Norris, from the Institute for Government think tank warned that the reshuffle was "ill advised" with so many big policy announcements due before May.

"Any new minister has a big learning curve to climb – and if moved into post in July 2014, not long to climb it. The prime minister needs to balance the desire to refresh with the need to hang on to those who are at the forefront of overseeing his key reforms," she said.

"With the long-awaited reshuffle imminent, there are likely to be several changes among junior ministers. While this may or may not make for good party management, it threatens to disrupt policy implementation at the point when stability and focus are needed most."

Mr Cameron's new cabinet may play well with female voters, concerned about the lack of representation in government, and the increasing number eurosceptics. The loss of so much experience with the replacement of the Tory old guard, a continuing dominance of middle aged, affluent white men and a preponderance of 'yes men' in his inner circle could mean that Mr Cameron's ostensibly cynical electioneering gambit may backfire though as he fails to govern effectively over the coming months.

 

Coulson's verdict is in but Cameron's is yet to come

BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron looks set to come under more fire today over his decision to employ disgraced former News of the World editor Andy Coulson.

Having been found guilty yesterday after a drawn out eight month trial, of phone hacking Coulson's tattered reputation has tainted the Conservative leader at a time when he needs all the political power he can muster.

Facing off against Labour Leader Ed Miliband today at Prime Minister's Questions Mr Cameron may find that he has to explain that decision with greater clarity if he wants to salvage some of his own tarnished image.

Following the guilty verdict handed down yesterday Mr Cameron rushed out an apology to try and stem the inevitable flow of criticism over his choice of communications director.

 In a statement to the media, Mr Cameron said he accepted "full responsibility for employing Andy Coulson".

"I did so on the basis of undertakings I was given by him about phone hacking and those turn out not be the case.

"I always said if they turned out to be wrong, I would make a full and frank apology and I do that today. I am extremely sorry that I employed him. It was the wrong decision," adding:

"I would say that no one has made any complaints about the work that he did for me, either as leader of the opposition or here, in Number 10 Downing Street. But knowing what I now know and knowing those assurances weren't right, it was obviously wrong to employ him.

"I gave someone a second chance and it turned out to be a bad decision."

This hasn't stopped opposition MP's from pressing ahead their attack however. Questioning Mr Cameron's claim that he was giving Coulson a "second chance" Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman said: "That does not wash. He was not somebody who'd admitted what he'd done and was turning over a new leaf."

Ahead of their confrontation later today Mr Miliband added his voice to the growing condemnation of Mr Cameron, arguing that he had "brought a criminal into the heart of Downing Street", claiming that he "must have had his suspicions about Mr Coulson and yet he refused to act".

"We now know that he put his relationship with Rupert Murdoch ahead of doing the right thing when it came to Andy Coulson."

Coulson's conviction has not put an end to the storm surrounding accusations of hacking within the media as a further 12 trials are due to take place, with yet more charges still being levelled at the former editor. So long as they continue a long shadow still falls over journalism.

Reacting to yesterday's verdict Michelle Stanistreet, National Union of Journalists general secretary, said:

"It has felt as if the whole of journalism has been put on trial over this period, when instead there should have been an investigation into what was happening at the top of News UK, where a dysfunctional culture was created and presided over by the Murdochs and their lieutenants. 

“This should be the time to draw a line under the bullying behaviour in newsrooms which put journalists under pressure to act unethically. Plus, there are still many journalists, who were arrested, whose lives have been put on hold because of the fall out of what occurred at the News of the World."

For now though it is Mr Cameron who may be looking to move forward and put this all behind him as he gears up for his battle over Europe.