With a handful of exceptions, none of the Cabinet ministers are up to the job
Johnny Mercer, Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat, Tracey Crouch and James Cleverly — to name five — would do a far better job instantly
New blood
A RADICAL Cabinet clearout cannot happen soon enough.
The Tories’ top team was already woeful even before Thursday’s mortifying blunders by three ministers. With a handful of exceptions, none are up to the job.
Take Karen Bradley — absurdly over-promoted to Northern Ireland Secretary, yet cheerfully ignorant of the most basic issues there.
Or grey bean-counter Philip Hammond, who wrecked No Deal preparations. Or timid David Gauke, or the destructively incompetent Chris Grayling.
When rising Tory MP Johnny Mercer called for fresh Cabinet talent he meant himself. But he has a point. He, Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat, Tracey Crouch and James Cleverly — to name five — would do a far better job instantly.
They have ideas, drive, an empathy with modern Britain and comparative youth. “We’ve selected too many of the wrong people over the last 20 years,” Mercer says. He’s not wrong.
And a new crop couldn’t do worse.
Blame game
WHO’S to blame for the Brexit deal shambles? Almost everyone. But some MPs have at least behaved with honour.
Our Government of Remainers negotiated ineptly. The EU, meanwhile, focused solely on forcing us to vote again. It has soured relations for a generation.
Remainer MPs have been a disgrace, initially promising to respect the referendum then plotting to reverse it, openly colluding with Brussels against Britain.
And next week comes the killer blow.
Remainers from the Cabinet down will vote to end any chance of No Deal and to postpone Brexit, perhaps long enough for a second referendum — apparently unaware of the electoral catastrophe
poised to engulf the Tories.
The rogue Speaker Bercow will help.
Backbench Brexiteers, by contrast, stuck both to the logic of the Brexit result — leaving the single market, customs union and ECJ control — and the repeated promises politicians made to
Leavers.
We admire that. We are as angry as they are at all the rest. But there is only one way now to prevail over them and begin to honour those 17.4million votes:
To back the one imperfect deal that at least secures Brexit before it’s too late.
All other roads lead to political disaster.
Wrecking crew
LABOUR’S hypocrisy on knife crime stinks.
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It voted against new Asbo-style curbs by the Home Secretary on young thugs suspected of carrying weapons. Except they were first suggested by the police and Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Corbyn’s Marxist mob seem to believe their only role is to brainlessly obstruct any Tory measure whatever its merits.
It is mind-boggling to think this shambolic Cabinet is still better than one with Corbyn as PM and Diane Abbott Home Secretary.