Ex-health secretary Hancock SNUBBED by Sunak in election win
How’s that for social distancing, Matt? Ex-health secretary Hancock is SNUBBED by former Cabinet rival Rishi Sunak as he waits to greet the new party leader with a handshake at Tory HQ – ahead of an expected ministerial reshuffle TOMORROW
- Former health secretary was front and centre at Conservative Party HQ
- Sunak worked along a line of MPs including Mel Stride and Guy Opperman
- Seen to completely blank Mr Hancock and move on to party chairman Jake Berry
Ex-minister Matt Hancock was brutally snubbed by his former Cabinet rival Rishi Sunak today as the new Tory leader arrived to greet supporters today.
The former health secretary was front and centre at Conservative Party headquarters today as the incoming prime minister was thronged by wellwishers.
But as he worked along a line of MPs including Mel Stride and Guy Opperman he was seen to completely blank Mr Hancock and move on to shake hands with party chairman Jake Berry.
The two men were in Boris Johnsons cabinet for most of the Covid pandemic before Mr Hancock was forced out as health secretary for breaking his won rules during an illicit affair.
They were often seen to be on opposing sides of the coronavirus row within the government, over how to balance competing economic and health requirements.
The moment Matt Hancock was blanked by the new Tory leader
The former health secretary was front and centre at Conservative Party headquarters today as the incoming prime minister was thronged by wellwishers.
But as he worked along a line of MPs including Mel Stride and Guy Opperman he was seen to completely blank Mr Hancock and move on to shake hands with party chairman Jake Berry.
The two men were in Boris Johnsons cabinet for most of the Covid pandemic before Mr Hancock was forced out as health secretary for breaking his won rules during an illicit affair.
If Mr Hancock was hoping for a return to the Cabinet it appears to be some way off.
The parlous state of the economy, the war in Ukraine, possible elections in Northern Ireland, the Channel migrants crisis and reuniting the Conservative Party are all critical tasks lying in Mr Sunak’s in-tray.
Yet the most immediate duty for Mr Sunak is for him to choose who will sit around the Cabinet table with him in Downing Street.
Penny Mordaunt ended up being Mr Sunak’s closest challenger for the Tory leadership and, by convention, she should be offered a job in the new PM’s top team.
The Royal Navy reservist has already held the role of Defence Secretary and is currently the Leader of the House of Commons.
She is likely to be looking for a move up the Cabinet hierarchy, perhaps to one of the ‘great offices of state’.
The most immediate crisis facing Mr Sunak as the incoming PM is the state of the economy in the wake of Ms Truss’s mini-Budget disaster.
Her second Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has been working on plans to restore market confidence at a planned fiscal statement on 31st October.
This includes spending cuts and possible tax rises in order to fill a blackhole in the public finances.
With financial markets having reacted well to Mr Hunt’s appointment and his ripping up of Ms Truss’s economic agenda, Mr Sunak will be tempted to keep him in place as Treasury chief.
Mr Hunt last night came out in support of Mr Sunak as PM in a newspaper article.
Speaking outside Conservative Campaign Headquarters, Treasury Committee chairman Mel Stride said he was ‘very pleased’ to see his ally Rishi Sunak win the Tory leadership.
‘Very pleased,’ he said. ‘I think it’s an opportunity now for the party to unite.
‘I think he can bring us together, there will be huge economic challenges in particular but I think he is somebody who believes in fiscal responsibility and I think we can get back to that place.
‘So, very pleased, I’m very optimistic, a lot of work to be done though.’
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