Grant Shapps – No 10 and 11 must be working ‘hand in glove’
Sophy Ridge’s first visitor was the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. On Thursday, Boris Johnson carried out his lengthy deliberate cupboard reshuffle, which noticed the shock resignation of the Chancellor Sajid Javid. It emerged that Javid had been informed that he might keep in his job on the situation that he sack all of his particular advisers, one thing which he was not ready to countenance. Ridge questioned Shapps about this improvement:
When requested about Sajid Javid’s resignation, @grantshapps says he thinks viewers would doubtless need advisers to “be working hand in glove” with Quantity 10.
Requested if he would have signed as much as the phrases that Mr Javid rejected, Mr Shapps doesn’t handle the query instantly #Ridge pic.twitter.com/Mh06sx7dTc
— Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) February 16, 2020
SR: If you happen to had gone into your assembly with Boris Johnson final week and he’d requested you to sack your whole advisors, would you’ve gotten gone together with it?
GS: …I’d be fairly involved if my advisers weren’t working hand in glove. That may be a priority to me, not to mention to No. 10. I wish to get issues delivered for this nation, and… I need us all to be working in the identical course.
New Chancellor ‘might want time’ for Finances
Javid’s substitute as Chancellor is Rishi Sunak, who was beforehand the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. The Finances, which might have been Javid’s first, was scheduled for March 11th, however Shapps now hinted that the date could possibly be pushed again:
When requested if there will probably be a delay to the finances, Transport Secretary @grantshapps
says the brand new Chancellor “might want time”.Observe #Ridge dwell https://t.co/XZqrLOHSy4 pic.twitter.com/XXjvrINSR7
— Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) February 16, 2020
GS: The brand new Chancellor might want time. I haven’t heard whether or not the date in March is confirmed as but. He’s in all probability taking a look at it, I ought to suppose, this week.
‘I’d be cautious’ about BBC shake-up feedback
The Sunday Instances have reported feedback from Downing Avenue insiders who’ve signalled their intention to supervise a significant restructuring of the BBC and the way it’s funded. There are plans for a session on transferring the BBC in direction of a subscription based mostly mannequin of funding, and for forcing the organisation to dump a number of TV and radio channels. Shapps downplayed the remarks:
“I’d be fairly cautious of some unattributed feedback”
When requested a couple of newspaper report quoting a “senior Downing Avenue supply” saying there must be a “large pruning again” of the BBC, @grantshapps says there isn’t a “preordained choice” concerning the company’s funding pic.twitter.com/KpZMKZPvOY
— Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) February 16, 2020
GS: I’d be fairly cautious about some unattributed feedback… It’s only a session at this stage… It’s merely not the case that there’s some pre-ordained choice concerning the future funding of the BBC.
UK nonetheless has second most various cupboard in historical past
Thursday’s reshuffle attracted criticism in some quarters, because the relative variety of the brand new cupboard has decreased. Shapps defended the present make-up of the federal government, arguing that the broader image must be taken under consideration:
“That is nonetheless essentially the most various cupboard we’ve ever had, aside from the final one”
When requested by a drop within the variety of girls and other people from ethnic minorities in Cupboard, @grantshapps says beneath cupboard degree there’s a 50-50 gender steadiness
Observe #Ridge https://t.co/h79DbaYOAK pic.twitter.com/AWMUABnvLS
— Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) February 16, 2020
GS: When it comes to variety in cupboard, that is nonetheless essentially the most various cupboard that we’ve ever had aside from the final one… We’ve now obtained 50% girls [on] the decrease rungs of the ministerial ladder… One of the best of these folks will probably be future cupboard ministers, and who is aware of, maybe the third feminine Prime Minister.
Keir Starmer – Dominic Cummings ‘has all the ability’
Ridge additionally interviewed Sir Keir Starmer, the present frontrunner for the Labour management. Touching first on the Prime Minister’s reshuffle, Starmer shortly pointed the finger at who he thought was the architect behind it:
“He’s truly holding all the ability”
Labour management candidate @Keir_Starmer tells @SophyRidgeSky he’s involved by the ability wielded by the PM’s advisers, saying that like Prime Minister’s Questions “we’re going to should have DCQs for Dominic Cummings”.#Ridge pic.twitter.com/Xty0wYvNir
— Sophy Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) February 16, 2020
KS: Dominic Cummings is simply getting an increasing number of energy. I do know Boris Johnson doesn’t very similar to coming to Parliament – he does no less than come for PMQs. I feel we’re going to should have ‘DCQs’ for Dominic Cummings earlier than too lengthy.
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