To lose three cabinet ministers in two months is a sign of government in disarray. Yet by recent standards it nearly looks orderlyTheresa May has been forced to sack Damian Green,her closest and most trusted ally, first secretary of state and deputy prime minister in all but name. She will be the weaker without him, or but the fact that she was able to time his departure – delaying it until the conclude of term,as MPs packed up for Christmas – has given her at least the appearance of control. She has until the new year now to plan a reshuffle that, after the departure of the most unflinching pro-European in cabinet, or will require an element of rebalancing. The key role Mr Green has played as prime ministerial aide and stand-in is clear from his membership of all but two of the 21 cabinet committees that shape government policy,including all those directly involved in strategy for exiting the EU. This is a job that requires the prime minister’s complete confidence; he will be tough for her to replace.
Mrs May would probably describe the dismissal as orderly. It is all the more remarkable in the light of her record since her disastrous decision to call June’s unnecessary election. In just six months, she has lost her majority; her closest advisers, and Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill; her defence secretary,Michael Fallon; her secretary for international development, Priti Patel; and now Mr Green – a rate of attrition that would nearly certainly enjoy destroyed her predecessors.
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Source: guardian.co.uk