A cabinet reshuffle is when a Prime Minister moves the top team of politicians in charge of running the government. This can involve removing, adding or changing ministerial roles, as well as creating and abolishing departments. A cabinet reshuffle can have significant implications for government policy, and can have lasting impacts on how the government works.
Reshuffles can be used as a tool to signal shifts in policy priorities. For example, if the Prime Minister is worried about immigration, she might reshuffle to promote someone with a more hardline approach. Alternatively, if she thinks schools are struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, she might replace the education secretary with someone who has a background in healthcare and vaccines.
But the process of reshuffle can also be a way to reward loyal MPs by moving them up to more senior posts or remove those who haven’t performed well. It can also be a way to exert party discipline, sending critical rivals back to the backbenches or even forcing them out altogether. But frequent reshuffles can create an impression among the electorate, civil servants and backbench MPs that the government is unstable. And it can make it harder to hold Ministers accountable for policies they have overseen, especially when they’ve moved on from their old portfolios.
The House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee has recommended that we look at restricting how often a Prime Minister can reshuffle their ministers. This is a powerful idea, which could help reduce internal party battles, and create more stability for governments. But a time limit would need to be balanced with the right to create new policy, and ensure that ministers have an opportunity to develop the expertise needed to run their departments.
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