Tory cabinet

As we watch the Tories surf into the election with a 15% lead, I am flabbergasted by the incompetence of Mrs May's cabinet. Yes, Iain Duncan-Smith may have gone after creating a 21st-century Dickensian landscape through his lamentable management of Universal Credit but many other placements are unsuitable for office. Jeremy Hunt, Priti Patel, Liz Truss, Sir Michael Fallon, and Chris Grayling appear completely out of their depth in the posts they currently occupy. Boris Johnson, Liam Fox and Andrea Leadsom are only there because of their Brexit fakery. Having Michael Gove in the cabinet is akin to keeping the genie in the bottle, there is no end of damage he would cause if allowed out of the tent. Perhaps it is what Mrs May intended when she tried to pick a cabinet from across the many cabals of Tory MPs.

The Tories usually had a few frontbenchers who could be seen to be working well with their briefs, even David Cameron had a place for Ken Clarke and 'two brains', David Willetts. In Theresa May's government Greg Clarke, Phillip Hammond and the excellent David Gauke seem to grasp their briefs but are targets for the backstabbers. On the back benches, there are notable stalwarts like Sara Wollaston, Heidi Allen, and Stephen McPartland who seem to be thinking for the wider good but they are out of tune with the majority of their colleagues.

So what should a Labour Cabinet look like, certainly not the motley crew that constitutes Jeremy Corbyn's current shadow cabinet? They lack the gravitas to occupy ministerial positions just as Jeremy Corbyn lacks any leadership ability. There are exceptions and it is encouraging that some of the next generation are being given opportunities. His most trusted lieutenants, Diane Abbott, Emily Thornberry and Richard Burgon have a grating presence that alienates many voters. A government should have a cabinet that embraces all the talents of the Labour Party but there is no chance of Jeremy Corbyn embracing the broad church of MPs. Given the opportunity, there are MPs who have the experience and capability that could make a difference and they come from either end of the broad church. I would also make space in the cabinet for Caroline Lucas, the Green MP,  to ensure that climate change is addressed and integrity enforced.

Hilary Benn

Andy Burnham

Yvette Cooper

Mary Creagh

Stella Creasy

Jon Cruddas

Thangam Debbonaire

Andrew Gwynne

Harriet Harman

Meg Hillier

Dan Jarvis

Peter Kyle

David Lammy

Clive Lewis

Ed Milliband

John McDonnell

Pat McFadden

Ian Murray

Lisa Nandi

Rachel Reeves

Keir Starmer

Wes Streeting

Rosie Winterton

There are quite a few of less well-known MPs here but compared to the present Tory cabinet of incompetent and unrepentant Brexiteers, it would give the country a chance to rectify many of the existing policies that are having damaging outcomes for the environment, social justice, and the economy. They may just be able to find a way to eliminate the devastation of Brexit by either revisiting the vote once the details are fully specified or ensuring a trading agreement. Anything would be preferential to the spurious bucket list of soundbites that the electorate was offered in the referendum.