The very loyal ministers of the cabinet
Every cabinet needs a job of attacking the media, and that role has fallen to Transport Secretary Grand Saps, who made the show the morning after the prime minister was fined. Shapps was ready to make known his differences with the prime minister in the past – including land restrictions and Covid-19 – but he remains the cabinet’s best media commentator when Johnson is in a difficult position. Johnson has other key loyalists who will come out on top without undue pressure, including Culture Minister Nadine Dorries, whom lawmakers have described as “aggressive partisan” on WhatsApp’s internal teams, and Jacob Rees-Mogg, whose the dismissal Partygate as a non-issue has sometimes gone even further than its own No. 10 spinner.
The promotion-wannabes
Johnson has many frustrated former ministers who are among his most vocal critics, both publicly and privately, but there is a core group of those who either hope to move on from the lower echelons or return from the desert who have proven to be the most uncomfortable. chances. Among the most prominent is former Health Minister Matt Hancock, who was forced to resign over a shameful breach of lockdown but has remained steadfastly loyal from behind, including defending the prime minister’s breaches, which were arguably more serious than the world. his own career. Robert Genrik, the reshuffled former secretary of the communities, defended Johnson on the airwaves.
The new-looking whips
After clearing the whip bureau in an effort to restore discipline, the new leader, Chris Heaton-Harris, and his deputy, Chris Pinscher, are said by some to have followed a “good cop, bad cop” approach to stop revolt in votes and publicly express their dissatisfaction with the government in the media. The couple hosted a group dinner last month for all Conservative MPs to reunite and rebuild some of the bonds of companionship that had been severely damaged during Johnson’s lowest point in mid-January. While both have avoided public appearances, they play an important role in the background: reassuring lawmakers who are skeptical of key government decisions and, if necessary, limiting the prospect of promotion to encourage them to remain supportive. If Johnson’s long-term survival is to be ensured, he will have to rely on the support of the whip bureau to address timely concerns when they believe there is widespread misery within the party over a particular issue, for example to prevent the Owen affair from recurring. Patterson.
The rearguards
Working more quietly around the edges of the benches, Johnson can rely on several key allies that will be his eyes and ears in places that of course do not extend the whip office. Among them are the private secretaries of his parliament – former Secretary of State James Dandridge, who was one of the first Tory MPs to write a letter of no confidence in Theresa May, and two of the 2019 recruits, Joey Morrissey and Leah Nietzsche. Johnson’s longtime friend, Conor Burns, a Northern Ireland minister, and Nigel Adams, a minister without portfolio but on the cabinet, are also still working to ensure his safety – both of whom have been involved in a major degree in the “shadow flogging operation” to persuade MPs to withdraw letters of no confidence at the height of the Partygate scandal.
The faithful “red walls”
Many young Tory lawmakers – especially from the “red wall” seats only previously voted by Labor – feel they owe Johnson a huge personal debt to secure their election to parliament. Therefore, they praise him and want to dismiss many of the criticisms leveled at the prime minister as a minor issue that is of little concern to the general public – including police fines for Downing Street parties. Among the most ardent supporters of Johnson’s red wall is Mark Jenkinson, a Workington MP who dismissed criticism of Johnson attending a “left” birthday party that wanted to “overthrow a democratically elected government for a birthday cake. it was widely reported at the time. “ Another red wall, former teacher Brendan Clark-Smith, has accused Labor of “unbelievable hypocrisy” over previous cases in which opposition lawmakers were fined for speeding or using a telephone while driving. And Kathryn Fletcher recently tried to defend Johnson in the Commonwealth recently, saying her voters had told her: “It’s a wall, but as soon as 100,000 Russians showed up. “What the hell are we talking about cake?”
