A cabinet reshuffle is a change in the group of MPs who are responsible for government departments. Reshuffles can involve promotions and demotions of ministers, or creating new posts. The aim of the discussion was to understand why prime ministers reshuffle their government, and how they should be judged when doing so.
Hilary Armstrong pointed out that reshuffles are an essential tool for a PM who is governing at a time of uncertainty, such as after losing a general election, or in the wake of political scandal. She also noted that reshuffles can help the PM to refresh their team, and bring in younger MPs or those from outside parliament.
Tim Montgomerie highlighted that reshuffles can be used for performance management, to reward high performers or remove poor performers from the top ranks of government, or to signal policy shifts by moving people around or adding new positions. He also discussed the challenges of doing this, particularly when it involves relocating members from the backbenches to the frontbench.
Frequent reshuffles can undermine the country’s ability to deliver its policies, by discouraging the development of departmental expertise and leaving departments overly reliant on guidance from Downing Street. In addition, excessive churn can create the impression amongst electors, donors and parliamentarians that the government is unstable, and damage its credibility. It is therefore important to find ways to limit the power of the Prime Minister over their ministers and to move towards a system that gives ministers longer tenure in their roles.