Erstwhile Attorney General Suella Braverman, one of the most obviously right-wing or conservative candidates in the race to replace Boris Johnson, has been appointed by victor Liz Truss to the position of Home Secretary, one of the most senior roles in the British government.
There was a flurry of appointments to the new British government Tuesday evening, with freshly appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss back from her meeting with Queen Elizabeth II for the necessary constitutional formality and having made a speech to the British people promising to lead the country through what promises to be an extremely tough winter.
Thérèse Coffey was the first, appointed to both health and the office of the Deputy Prime Minister — which in reality is a lot less important than it perhaps sounds — but this was followed quickly by the ‘great offices of state’ being filled in order.
Responsible for the most central, important, and senior roles of government, Kwasi Kwarteng was appointed Chancellor of Exchequer, or finance minister, James Cleverly was appointed Foreign Secretary, and Suella Braverman was appointed Home Secretary or interior minister. The appointments being made official confirms earlier speculation in the media that, for the first time ever, not a single one of the UK’s great offices of state will be occupied by a white male.
While this reasonably considerable development has not solicited quite as much remark in the progressive press as might otherwise be expected — perhaps the fact it is the Conservatives, not the left-wing Labour party that has delivered this diversity milestone that has dampened enthusiasm — nevertheless there is some indication of low-key disquiet among the Tory ranks, amid suspicion that capable white men are being passed over for identity reasons.
Whatever the reasons for the appointments may be, there is no doubting some of the promotions represent really remarkable ascents to the highest nations in the office for some comparative political newcomers. Suella Braverman, now responsible for key government roles like immigration and policing — all presently in a state of crisis — has never held a full department government role before and has not been a full member of the cabinet.
Braverman had stood against Truss among a handful of others in the Conservative leadership contest and was one of the most obviously right-wing of the pack, but was knocked out comparatively early. As Britain’s leading left-wing newspaper The Guardian cynically — but probably rightly — notes, Truss may not have made it through the competition without Braverman throwing her and her follower’s support behind her at that moment, and this very senior appointment may be a reward for that.
Given Braverman is now responsible for one of the most broken government departments, the pressure to deliver will be extremely high, especially given the UK is only two years away from the next national election. Failure to demonstrate to voters the government has really tried to fix the growing migrant crisis, or repeatedly scandal-hit policing could very well see newly minted Prime Minister Truss booted out by a left-wing coalition by Christmas 2024.
That is not to say that Braverman has big shoes to fill. While she was hailed as a true conservative who would kick the Home Office into shape when she was appointed to the role in July 2019, Priti Patel has broadly been considered to have been an abject failure since. Time will tell whether Braverman will go through the same transformation from scourge of the deep state to defender of the status-quo as her predecessor.
New Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng is a long-time associate of Truss and co-wrote a book with her, Britannia Unchained, in 2012 which laid out a reasonably radical alternate vision for Conservative government. Among the proposed reforms by the Free Enterprise Group-member MP authors were the liberalisation of workplace laws, a reassessment of the welfare state, and adopting the ‘buccaneer-like’ investment ethic of Israel. Britain had adopted a declinist mindset, Kwarteng, Truss, and a handful of other co-authors said, and a strong economy rather than a strong government was the key for recovery.
Kwarteng will be the Prime Minister’s key ally in delivering what some — particularly those ideologically opposed to tax cuts and a smaller state — are already calling ‘Trussonomics‘.
Yet like Braverman, free marketeer Kwarteng takes over a department — the treasury — which might be described as facing chaos. Inflation is soaring, driven by the price of energy, and the new Prime Minister looks set to borrow a whopping $100 billion to subside the energy costs of ordinary families this winter, a bill near to three Northern Rock bailouts.
Former PM Boris Johnson put the blame for this energy crisis squarely at the feet of Vladimir Putin in his valedictory speech this morning, but in fact the Ukraine war is more like the metaphorical straw breaking the camel’s back. Years of government mismanagement, bordering on abuse, of energy policy in pursuit of radical green goals created the weakness that Putin’s global energy price shock has now brutally revealed for all to see: a whole other matter the new government must get to grips with if it doesn’t want to have to borrow another hundred billion every winter for the rest of time.
James Cleverly, who is going to the Foreign Office, like Braverman and Kwarteng has comparatively limited experience in senior government roles. He was one of the first to support Truss in the leadership race and, as noted elsewhere, is considered to be a China hawk. Reuters even reports neocon and ultra-hawk Tom ‘Total War’ Tugendhat may be appointed to a ministerial post under Cleverly, although this has not yet been confirmed by Truss.
Cleverly is a long-serving reserves officer, and is a Lieutenant Colonel of what is now called the Army Reserves.
Other, less senior cabinet roles have also been announced Tuesday evening. Ben Wallace is being retained in his role as defence secretary, no surprise given the perception ion Westminster he has done a good job handling the Ukraine situation under the Boris Johnson government, and no doubt aided by the fact he remained reasonably quiet during the Tory leadership challenge. Brandon Lewis has been made justice secretary, another department presently in peril, with criminal barristers presently on strike.