Penny Mordaunt Sacked
But as well as Hunt, you've got a US born PM whose great grandfather was Turkish and a Chancellor and Home Sec who both are only 1st generation UK and had they been in the military would have struggled to get clearances for more sensitive branches. That said, Ministers don't have formal clearances in the same way we do - Mordaunt was an exception given her role in the Navy Reserves. To make them get clearances would be seen as the Administration having power over elected Executives. I get that, but it does entail a degree of risk.
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To Prince Philip that wouldn't matter, they all look the same...
And the confusion comes from
Makes you worry when he does not even remember where his wife is from!
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/689689...ife-lucia-guo/
The amount that have been through the doors of the Defence Ministry, I wonder if the door name plates are now mounted on velcro.
Lucia, who originally is from China married her Tory MP husband in a traditional Chinese ceremony 10 years ago.
Mr Hunt made an embarrassing gaffe during a trip to China in which he said his wife is Japanese
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/689689...ife-lucia-guo/
The amount that have been through the doors of the Defence Ministry, I wonder if the door name plates are now mounted on velcro.
IIRC all the major post war UK spies were all English born & bred?
And they all went to Cambridge???
Of ocurse if you've read Robt Harris's book (and movie) the Ghost you might look very closely at a certain PM's wife......................
And they all went to Cambridge???
Of ocurse if you've read Robt Harris's book (and movie) the Ghost you might look very closely at a certain PM's wife......................
Defence Secretary
Aaron.
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Anyway, a crying shame as Mordaunt seemed to be settling in and doing a good job.
Home Secretary lost some of it's functions to Justice, but would still be regarded as one of the Great Offices of State.
(Incidentally, you don't even need to be a member of either House of Parliament to hold Ministerial Office - Alex Douglas Hume sat as Prime Minister for a few weeks in 1964 after renouncing his Peerage, but before he was elected as an MP)
Re security concerns, I'm sure there have been cases in the past where PMs have been advised not to appoint certain people to certain roles, but the decision must always remain with the Prime Minister
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Thread Starter
Defence minister Tobias Ellwood sacked in reshuffle
It looks like Tobias Ellwood has been sacked. Ellwood, a defence minister, said at the weekend that a no deal Brexit could plunge the Tories into opposition for an awfully long period of time. But two days later he said he would not be resigning from government.Now he is out. He has posted this on Twitter.
The final line of his tweet, “Si vis pacem, para bellum”, means “If you want peace, prepare for war”. Whether that is a comment on defence spending, or on relations with Downing Street, remains to be seen.
Ellwood was honoured for his bravery after he intervened to try to save the life of PC Keith Palmer, the police officer killed in the Westminster terror attack in 2017.
"here was a time when Defence, Home Office and Foreign Office were considered to be the BIG 3. How times have changed! "
The last powerful DefSec was Healey - and that wasn't so much because the Labour party thought it was important but because he basically refused to be moved so after about 5 years he'd outlasted all the senior Civil Servants and knew all their dodges and where the Treasury had buried the bodies
Like him or loathe him Gordon Brown achieved much the same as Chancellor - the UK Civil Service LOVE reshuffles as they got a constant stream of people who haven't a clue what the job is all about
The last powerful DefSec was Healey - and that wasn't so much because the Labour party thought it was important but because he basically refused to be moved so after about 5 years he'd outlasted all the senior Civil Servants and knew all their dodges and where the Treasury had buried the bodies
Like him or loathe him Gordon Brown achieved much the same as Chancellor - the UK Civil Service LOVE reshuffles as they got a constant stream of people who haven't a clue what the job is all about
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Absolutely true Asturias56 - We have all seen enough episodes of that documentary series Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister which tried to make us all believe it was actually a comedy programme!
For a PM with a majority of 2, possibly 1 in coming days - even with the DUP on board, he’s being very bold. At this rate he could well be the shortest lived PM counted in weeks at most.
yes - firing 15 people looks a bit dumb................
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Wee W Welshman.
So he was not well liked in the Mess!!
Good, as that is not were wars are won. Only promotions , some times, I suppose.
As I recall Monty was not a popular man either, but a true Soldier.
If You are hired to cull Russians, ultimately, You need to know You Soldiering!!
Does He?
I think he stands a good chance compared to some of todays utterly clue-less Defence Ministers.
How one can be Defense Minister and not even have finished the Draft has always been a mystery to me.
So
WWW
Is he a competent Officer or not, popularity contest in the " Mess" aside!!
Regards
Cpt B
So he was not well liked in the Mess!!
Good, as that is not were wars are won. Only promotions , some times, I suppose.
As I recall Monty was not a popular man either, but a true Soldier.
If You are hired to cull Russians, ultimately, You need to know You Soldiering!!
Does He?
I think he stands a good chance compared to some of todays utterly clue-less Defence Ministers.
How one can be Defense Minister and not even have finished the Draft has always been a mystery to me.
So
WWW
Is he a competent Officer or not, popularity contest in the " Mess" aside!!
Regards
Cpt B
There is absolutely no reason why the Minister should have served in the Forces..................
I believe it was Count Bismark who observed he was totally happy to have his horse pull his carriage but he didn't see the sense in letting it decide where to go...............
I believe it was Count Bismark who observed he was totally happy to have his horse pull his carriage but he didn't see the sense in letting it decide where to go...............
Sorry Asturias56, I couldn't disagree with you more. IMHO as a serviceman, I want the person in charge to not only know what it is they are talking about but to understand as well … two different concepts.
Oddly, no Parliamentary Under Secy of State for Defence People and Veterans has been appointed yet. Job covers Covenant, Inquests, Inquiries, Cadets, Sustainability, Justice, Safety, Security......... Good job pprune has the handover brief covered then.
Sure, I would like that too, but I suppose that doctors would want the Health Secretary to be a doctor, teachers would want the Education Secretary to be a teacher and so on. Never been the case in Brit governments.
Just someone who can actually understand the brief, ask sensible questions/take sensible actions based on the answers, adequately defend their corner against the Treasury and be free of the single-service rivalries that inevitably infest the most senior echelons would be nice.
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The boris show will be head and shoulders above the series Yes Prime Minster. The world is laughing while holding its breath. I am sure the Queen is not amused. The Duke is probably saying "who is this Boris bloke"
Comment from the colony (Canada)
I'll close the door on my way out.
Comment from the colony (Canada)
I'll close the door on my way out.