Women Set for Junior Jobs in Boris Johnson’s Government Reshuffle
British media have reported speculation that high-profile women in Johnson’s team could all be fired in the reshuffle.
(Bloomberg) -- U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is planning to promote a number of women to junior government roles when he reshapes his administration to ready the country for life outside the European Union, in a cabinet overhaul Thursday.
Johnson has faced calls to increase the number of women in his cabinet, but a senior official suggested a generation of talented female politicians will have to wait to reach the very highest levels until after they had gained experience on the lower rungs of government.
British media have reported speculation that high-profile women in Johnson’s team -- including cabinet ministers Theresa Villiers, Andrea Leadsom and Liz Truss -- could all be fired in the reshuffle. The official insisted that the overall number of women in the cabinet is not expected to decline as a result of the changes Thursday.
Among the women likely to be offered promotions are Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who may be given a job in the cabinet, Suella Braverman and Gillian Keegan. Others in line for promotion include current International Development Secretary Alok Sharma and Oliver Dowden, who are both expected to be given higher profile jobs in the cabinet, the official said.
Johnson won the biggest victory for any Conservative Party leader in more than 30 years in December’s election and is now the most powerful prime minister Britain has had since Tony Blair.
Premier’s Priorities
He is using his strength to stamp his authority on the way the government works and has been mulling a major overhaul for weeks, inspired by his controversial and radical chief adviser, Dominic Cummings. However, the official suggested the reforms had been scaled back, saying the personnel changes overall are likely to be moderate, rather than sweeping.
The government’s junior ministerial ranks are likely to be split equally between men and women, preparing the ground for a more equal gender split higher up in the administration in the future, the official said. On the lowest rung of the government ladder, at least 60% of all ministerial aides will be women under Johnson’s plans, the official added. Currently, the figure is just 18%.
Johnson wants use his reshuffle to develop a generation of politicians who will be promoted further in the coming years, the official said. He will reward members of Parliament who have worked hard to deliver on his priorities to help equalize opportunities in what Johnson has called “left behind” regions of the country, the official said.
Ministers expected to leave the government include Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan, who stayed on as a temporary measure to complete a review of Huawei Technologies Co.’s role in next-generation broadband networks, and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, who may be replaced or moved to another post.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps are among the senior officials expected to remain in Johnson’s top team.
When Cummings was asked about the reshuffle this week, he joked to a journalist that the children’s television characters PJ Masks would be better than all the country’s most senior ministers combined. “PJ Masks will do a greater job than all of them put together,” he told the BBC.
To contact the reporter on this story: Tim Ross in London at tross54@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson at fjackson@bloomberg.net, Robert Jameson
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