The mini-reshuffle shows Sunak’s weakness, and the Tories’ lack of answers to Britain’s many crises, argues Terina Hine

Lee Anderson’s appointment as deputy chair of the Conservative Party represents Sunak’s most desperate move to date. It is difficult not to repeat the line about rearranging those Titanic deckchairs when the most prominently promoted MP in this cabinet reshuffle compared Sunak’s government to the ship’s doomed band.

The appointments of the new Tory chair and deputy were intended to appease the two warring sides of the party. The deputy chair, right-wing MP Lee Anderson represents the red wall, while the chair, Greg Hands, represents the blue. For Sunak, who so recently stood on the steps of Downing Street announcing his government would be based on integrity, professionalism and accountability, the appointment of Anderson represents desperation.

Anderson has acquired a level of infamy as an outspoken MP on the extreme right of the party, scarily popular with the grassroots. Reprimanded for pronouncing ‘extremist’ views on Traveller communities in the Commons, and famous for praising a ‘White Pride’ far-right fanatic as one of the ‘top lads’ who made him proud of his constituency.

More recently, Anderson has criticised civil servants, suggesting them guilty of treason for failing to prevent small boats crossing the channel. This vile MP is a keen culture warrior, who ranted about the English football team taking the knee and refused to support the national team in the Euros; he claimed the poor are unable to cook or budget, and that there is no need for food banks, suggesting a healthy meal could be made for just 30p. Hence his nickname ‘30pLee’. He also, embarrassingly, was caught on camera faking a door knocking while canvassing in the 2019 election: “make out you know who I am, that you know I’m the candidate but not that you are a friend,” were the words picked up on his mic.

With the sacking of Nadhim Zahawi less than two weeks ago, a replacement for party chair was needed. That this resulted in a cabinet reshuffle is no surprise. Sunak would no doubt like to shape the cabinet more in his own image, rather than that of his two predecessors, but his hands remain tied by the deep divisions in the party and the ghosts of PMs past. This may be why he chose to create three new departments, and with them more openings for his loyal supporters. Hence a reshuffle with no sackings. Even now, Dominic Raab remains in place, the justice secretary with at least eight bullying allegations against him and no less than three senior civil-service officials giving damning evidence to an official inquiry.

Too weak to restructure his cabinet properly, Sunak has resorted to restructuring the ministerial departments. Given the dire state of the economy, record inflation and soaring mortgage payments, and an election only eighteen months away, the one thing no one was asking for was a departmental restructure. Especially one which will have no time to be implemented. Titanic deckchairs again.

We do not need more ministers with their inflated salaries. This government barely functions as it is, why it would be able to work better with more departments is a mystery.

The Tories are out of ideas, and the public is well and truly fed up with their incompetence, corruption, arrogance and greed. This mini-reshuffle will have no impact on the cost-of-living crisis, nor on the pay disputes, nor will it help undo the crippling impact the Tories have had on our public services. With the appointment of Anderson, it will only inflame the culture war and act as a distraction.

That Sunak has resorted to appointing an MP like Lee Anderson as deputy chair of his party shows just how precarious his position is and how toxic the Conservative Party has become.