This minimalist manoeuvre, carried out in graveyard news time, suggests that a bigger reshuffle has been postponed until the other side of the year.
Plus: Biden won fair and square, Trump’s allegations of fraud have been dismissed by the courts – and one can be a conservative and say so.
Johnson is up to ninth from fifth from bottom, Gove jumps up to near the top quarter, Hancock is clearer from the relegation zone – and Truss stays top.
If no good deal comes and No Deal happens, the option of a return to EU membership is no longer on the table.
Wallace is well up, Gove down, and Patel much the same in the wake of that bullying report – and Johnson and Hancock just outside negative ratings.
Completing the regeneration of Longbridge would be a powerful example of Conservative policy actively “levelling up” the economy.
All in all, it’s much of a muchness – with Douglas Ross down by about 25 points, now that his Party Conference coverage has faded.
If the public conversation about lives and livelihoods doesn’t change, we risk being trapped in semi-lockdown semi-permanently.
Six members of Cabinet, more than 70 speakers, in 18 events, over three days, makes for over 22 hours of top-flight political insight and debate.
The event was held in partnership with the Federation of Small Businesses – and discussed how make small business the centre of a post-Covid UK.
Today, we present two Secretaries of State, a former Chancellor and a host of other great speakers across six events.
It’s a rotten springboard from which to vault into Party Conference as it begins today. But what goes down may go back up.
It’s speeches for Sunak, Patel and Raab; interviews in different formats for Gove, Hancock and others; while others still are relegated to panels…
Last month, he was sixth from top. Now, he is eighth from bottom. Only six Ministers have a satisfaction rating of more than half.
Also: Johnson makes ‘plea for the Union’ as he orders ministers to make more visits to Scotland and prevent the SNP taking credit for UK Government policies.