Rishi's Mini Ri-Shuffle: Sunak's Ministers Keep Jobs in Re-Jigged Departments

With the ruling Conservatives trailing the Labour opposition by 20 points in recent polls, PM Rishi Sunak's government mini-reshuffle was slammed as 're-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic'.

Britain's prime minister has announced a cabinet re-shuffle — with most ministers keeping their jobs in reorganised departments.

Several of the smaller ministries were re-branded in Rishi Sunak's shake-up on Tuesday, losing or gaining responsibilities to and from other departments.

The international trade department will take over the business remit from the department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy headed by Grant Shapps.

Trade secretary Kemi Badenoch will keep her three jobs as new business and trade secretary, head of the board of trade and women's and equalities minister, while Shapps will be re-dubbed 'energy security and net zero secretary' in a clear downgrade of his role.

Nus Ghani, who claimed she was sacked as a junior transport minister in former PM Boris Johnson's February 2020 reshuffle merely for being a Muslim, was appointed Badenoch's number two.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has lost its 'digital' domain along with its secretary of state Michelle Donelan, who moves to the newly-created Science, Innovation and Technology department. Current junior housing minister Lucy Frazer was named as the new culture secretary.

Sunak "rearranging of deckchairs on the sinking Titanic of failed Conservative energy policy will not rescue the country," opposition Labour Party shasdow climate change and net zero Ed Milliband tweeted.

Miliband argued that the Tories should not have abolished the dedicated Department for Energy seven years earlier.

The Conservatives are trailing Labour by margins of around 20 per cent in recent polls.

Badenoch, a strong contender in last summer's Tory leadership contest, has been accused of belittling the LGBT movement after a recording emerged of her observing that it was in search of a cause after her party legislated for same-sex marriage. That may prove crucial amid the current row over jailing transsexual prisoners, including sex offenders, in women's prisons.

Donelan, the MP for Chippenham since 2015, opposed leaving the European Union in the 2016 referendum. She backed short-lived PM Liz Truss for leader in July, but switched allegiance to Sunak in the October election prompted by Truss' resignation.

As DCMS secretary, Donelan backtracked on her predecessor Nadine Dorries' plan end state ownership of terrestrial broadcaster Channel 4, but reaffirmed the government's determination to review the TV license fee that funds the giant British Broadcasting Corporation.

Speculation that former Prime Minister Johnson or another Tory 'big beast' would be made Conservative Party chair proved unfounded. Sunak gave the job to Greg Hands, MP for Fulham and Chelsea and previously a junior trade minister. Lee Anderson, a defector from Labour who won the northern 'red wall' seat of Ashfield from his erstwhile comrades in the 2019 election, was later named as Hands' deputy.