United Kingdom: Rishi Sunak appoints a new president for the Conservative Party
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday appointed Greg Hands as the new chairman of the Conservative Party, leading to a slight cabinet reshuffle marked by the creation of four ministries.
AP - Frank Augstein
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appointed Greg Hands as the new chairman of the Conservative Party on Tuesday, February 7, after having dismissed his predecessor at the end of January, pinned down for not having declared his problems with the tax authorities.
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This appointment led to a slight ministerial reshuffle marked by the creation of four ministries, while Rishi Sunak, in power for a little over a hundred days, is weakened by affairs in his government and a lasting social crisis.
Greg Hands, who had been Minister for International Trade since October, was appointed Minister without Portfolio and President of the Tories.
He will have the difficult task of coordinating the campaign of the party in power for thirteen years, and at the lowest in the polls, in the next legislative elections which should take place in less than two years.
The previous leader of the Conservative party,
Nadim Zahawi
, was sacked after being found guilty of a "
serious violation of the ministerial code
".
He had reached an agreement in principle with the tax authorities in August 2022, when he was Boris Johnson's finance minister, before ratifying it the following month.
According to the press, Nadhim Zahawi settled what he owed to the taxman, together with penalties, for almost five million pounds sterling - 5.7 million euros.
A cabinet reshuffle to reduce inflation and allow economic growth
With the cabinet reshuffle, Grant Shapps, who had been Minister for Business and Energy since October, becomes Minister for Energy Security and Carbon Neutrality.
Kemi Badenoch becomes Minister of Business and Commerce.
Michelle Donellan, who was Minister of Culture, is appointed Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Lucy Frazer becomes Minister of Culture, Media and Sport.
The changes will ensure that Rishi Sunak's teams "
focus on the Prime Minister's promises
", including halving inflation and
growing the economy
, according to a Downing Street statement.
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To read also: Rishi Sunak announces a 1 billion pound plan for the public hospital
(
With
AFP)
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