Key events
Filters BETA
The BBC’s Chris Mason has more on the proposed changes to the departmental infrastructure around Whitehall.
The three existing departments expected to face restructuring are business, international trade and culture.
There will also be a Science, Innovation&Technology department.
The existing Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will retain responsibility for online safety.
There will also be a reshuffle of government ministers, with names to be confirmed later.
— Chris Mason (@ChrisMasonBBC) February 7, 2023
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which is led by Michelle Donelan, is expected to keep responsibility for the online safety bill, even if a new science and digital department is created, my colleague Jessica Elgot reports.
Source at DCMS saying they believe Online Safety staying within that department for now, even if digital infrastructure moves to reshaped department
— Jessica Elgot (@jessicaelgot) February 7, 2023
What Sunak said about creating new Department of Energy during Tory leadership campaign
When he stood for the Tory leadership in the summer, Rishi Sunak proposed re-establishing a department of energy as part of his “energy sovereignty strategy”. Here is an extract from the news release carrying the announcement. He said he would:
Bring in a new legal target to achieve ‘energy sovereignty’ by 2045 at the latest, ensuring the UK produces as much energy as it uses, with the aim of reaching the target even sooner. The new target will sit alongside the existing Net Zero emissions target to ensure there’s a balanced approach to driving down bills and protecting the environment.
Establish a new energy security committee to coordinate cross-government action ahead of the winter to keep critical power stations online and protect UK gas reserves. The Committee will also be tasked with reforming the UK’s energy markets to cut bills.
Re-establish a Department of Energy by splitting up the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), with a new secretary of state charged with delivering Energy Sovereignty.
Energy and climate change used to be a stand-alone department until it was merged with BEIS in 2016.
Cabinet meeting ‘delayed until afternoon’, Sky reports
Today’s cabinet meeting has been postponed until this afternoon, Sky’s Sam Coates reports.
Reshuffle day
Government reorganisation now underway
Announcements this morning
Cabinet now happening this afternoon, not this morning
We won’t see any cabinet ministers walk in this morning, just for cabinet meeting
— Sam Coates Sky (@SamCoatesSky) February 7, 2023
Normally cabinet starts at 9.30am, but overnight there were reports that it was being delayed until 10.30am, to allow new appointments to be made first. Either those reports were based on a duff briefing, or else Rishi Sunak may have concluded that the reshuffle will take longer than planned.
Andrew Mitchell, the development minister, has been on media round duties this morning, primarily to talk about the British response to the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Asked about the reshuffle, and whether he wanted to be the next party chairman, he told GB News:
Well, these are matters way above my paygrade and they are matters for the prime minister, but I’m very happy indeed doing a job which I’ve done before and loved very much, which is the international development job and I’m going to do my best, particularly today, to see that Britain puts its shoulder to the wheel and that we save as many lives as we can.
Here is our story by my colleagues Pippa Crerar and Jessica Elgot about the reshuffle.
And here is an extract.
The prime minister is also believed to be considering a shake-up of Whitehall by splitting the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy into two or three new departments to better reflect his priorities.
The changes are likely to take place on Tuesday morning, with sources saying the morning cabinet meeting has been moved back to 10.30am.
Sources suggested that there could be a new energy department, with business and trade merged and a separate science and digital department too, with responsibilities removed from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. However, the Guardian understands that cabinet ministers whose departments are affected do not appear to have been pre-warned.
Rishi Sunak to hold limited cabinet shuffle
Good morning. When Rishi Sunak became prime minister, he appointed a cabinet but, given that Liz Truss had done the same less than two months previously, he did not make as many changes as he might otherwise have done, and it looked like a cabinet crafted in the interests of party management, not to suit his own priorities. This morning he is expected to announce a limited reshuffle, partly to fill the vacancy created when he sacked Nadhim Zahawi as party chairman, and so we should end up with a cabinet with more of a Sunak flavour.
The Sun and the Times had the story last night. This is from the Sun’s Harry Cole.
And these are from the Times’ Steven Swinford.
BREAKING:
Rishi Sunak to announce mini-reshuffle tomorrow and is considering up major changes to Whitehall departments
He’s replacing Nadhim Zahawi as Tory chair but some in govt think it’s much more far-reaching
He’s looking at refocusing Whitehall to reflect his priorities
— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) February 6, 2023
There are suggestions that Beis could be broken up to reflect Sunak’s priorities
During the leadership campaign he pledged to reinstate the department for energy
He’s also pushed for a greater focus on tech and innovation
— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) February 6, 2023
Zahawi’s replacement still unclear tonight – favourite is Greg Hands, trade minister, but several cabinet ministers have been mooted
Changes to the structure of government could create new cabinet posts in government
Also suggestions that there will be changes to DCMS
— Steven Swinford (@Steven_Swinford) February 6, 2023
The announcements are expected soon.
Here is the agenda for the day.
10am: Richard Sharp, chairman of the BBC, gives evidence to the Commons culture committee about his appointments, and claims of a potential conflict of interest.
10.30am: Rishi Sunak chairs cabinet.
11.30am: Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, takes questions in the Commons.
3.20pm: Peers resume their debate at the report stage of the public order bill.
I’ll try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.
If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.
Alternatively, you can email me at [email protected]