David Cameron’s rightist portfolio reshuffle strengthens his place among devout Conservatives

The first important portfolio reshuffle, implemented by Conservative PM David Cameron yesterday, has unambiguously signaled his government’s ideological turn to the right wing as prominent Conservative right-wingers have been granted portfolios in Cameron’s cabinet.

Cameron’s strong rightward turn is being interpreted as a move that is certain to undercut the Liberal Democrats’ (LD) strength in Cameron’s Coalition government.

The alteration of portfolios, effected by the PM, has increased the potency of conventional Conservatives, who are decisively right-wing. The Prime Ministerial portfolio reshuffle has pleased the uncompromisingly rightist Conservative MPs and their backers.

Cameron was the recipient of traditionalist Conservative criticism for being too accommodating regarding the centrist LD agenda. Principled right-wingers had desired a more meaningful right-wing presence in Cameron’s administration.

Chris Grayling has been positioned as Justice Secretary, which has delighted the committed UK right-wingers, as Grayling has replaced Kenneth Clarke, who was deemed a more ‘liberal’ Conservative. Clarke has been provided with Ministership Without Portfolio and is supposed to operate as a ‘voice of wisdom’. Governmental sources invalidated the report that Clarke would assume an economic brief to moderate the power of the Chancellor of Exchequer, George Osbourne.

Owen Paterson, who is sceptical of ‘climate change’, has been granted the Environment Secretaryship. Thus, environmental activists will certainly question Cameron’s previous vow of running the greenest administration ever in Britain. Right-winger John Hayes has been placed in the second-most powerful position at Energy and Climate Change, administered by LD Ed Davey.

Andrew Lansley has been removed from Health Secretaryship as he failed to generate consensus over NHS reforms. He has been assigned the Leadership of Commons. Jeremy Hunt, who was nearly expelled from the Culture Ministry over his connections with mogul Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, has been made the Health Secretary. His comments about the validity of homeopathy have irked British physicians unconvinced by homeopathy’s effectiveness.

Cameron has dismissed Justine Greening as Transport Secretary, who opposed Heathrow airport’s enlargement as Putney’s MP. Patrick McLoughlin has been conferred this portfolio instead.

LD MPs have asserted that inflexibly rightist policies presented by incoming Secretaries will be disallowed by LD.

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