James Forsyth James Forsyth

David Cameron mini-shuffle done to move John Hayes from DECC

Downing Street’s mini-shuffle announced this morning to coincide with a joint Cameron Fallon visit to a green car plant is intriguing. Having made some inquiries, it seems that the aim was to move John Hayes out of DECC, where he was still clashing spectacularly with the Secretary of State Ed Davey and alarming some in the industry, and Michael Fallon in. Everything else followed from that.

Fallon’s additional responsibilities are yet another sign of the high regard Number 10 holds him in. Fallon might be culturally, and politically, quite different from most of those in Number 10 but they have come to see him as their safest pair of hands. I’d be surprised if he isn’t elevated to the Cabinet before the next election. Indeed, Number 10 sources are stressing today that they accept that the BIS and DECC Minister of State jobs can’t be done together for that long given the workload.

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