Prime Minister Theresa May has reshuffled her cabinet in the wake of mounting pressure on her position following the poor Conservative performance in the general election.
Despite rumours of attempts to oust her as PM both from opposition and her own party, she will attempt to form government with the help of the controversial DUP (Democratic Unionist Party).
Michael Gove has returned as Environmental Secretary, while Damian Green comes in as First Secretary. Boris Johnson, a supposed rival for the top job, has also backed May to continue and take control during the coming Brexit negotiations. PM May declared she has: “brought in talent from across the whole of the Conservative Party. We want a country that works for everyone.”
Most of the MPs involved in the re-shuffle have taken up different roles, the employment of Gove, another supposed rival could turn him into an ally for May as she seeks to hold onto power of the party. She was unable to carry out a more widespread re-shuffle due to her failing to gain a majority government therefore limiting her powers to remould her own party as well as legalisation.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said Mrs May would have to adopt a more “collective” approach to making decisions, which calls into question sections of the manifesto. Jeremy Corbyn said he still hopes to be PM in a short timescale and would try to amend the Queen’s Speech.
What could this change about the manifesto?
According to the BBC, an influential Conservative MP predicted Tory manifesto policies, including on grammar schools and other deemed not vital, would have to be “slimmed down”. Due to her party not having the majority and needing the DUP to back them on policy, the Conservatives may struggle to do everything they promised in their manifesto and during Brexit negotiations. This means that changers to business and HR are unlikely to be drastic, but we don’t really know if anything is really set in stone because the government presently and in future is uncertain.
Tory policies they initiated in their manifesto (check out our earlier blog on the party manifestos) are no longer guaranteed to come in.
The political limbo we are in, is likely to mean nothing is going to change under employment law, as the government isn’t in a position to pass through any legislation. Under a Conservative government their manifesto stipulated no drastic changes to legislation and their arguments were based mainly on a strong Brexit negotiation which starts on 19th June.
What could the effect of delays have on UK business & Brexit?
Brexit negotiations were set to begin in 10 days’ time, already a tight timescale for the newly reshuffled government, thrown into further disarray by the result of a hung parliament and now a minority government. This of course would mean any Brexit related legislation changes are going to be postponed, nothing will change within the next few weeks/months in the UK business world. EU Commissioner Gunther Oettinger said that talks about Britain leaving the EU would likely now be postponed, speaking to German radio, he said: “We need a government that can act. With a weak negotiating partner, there’s the danger than the negotiations will turn out badly for both sides… I expect more uncertainty now.”
The political limbo we are in are likely to mean nothing is going to change as the government isn’t in a position to pass through any legislation. Under a minority Conservative government their manifesto stipulated strongly a strong Brexit negotiation would be crucial rather than drastic changes to policy. The Tories now have to press on without being able to use their full mandate and defined meaning of a ‘strong Brexit negotiation’.
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