China News Service, February 8 (Xinhua) According to Reuters, on the 7th local time, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a small-scale cabinet reshuffle, splitting the original departments and establishing four new government departments in an attempt to reduce energy prices and stimulate the economy. , in order to restore the confidence of the British people in the Conservative Party.
Data map: British Prime Minister Sunak.
Sunak appointed former business secretary Grant Shapps as head of a new energy security and net zero unit focused on securing long-term energy supplies, lowering electricity bills and lowering inflation, the report said. .
The other three new departments and their heads are: the Ministry of Commerce and Trade led by International Trade Minister Kemi Badnoch; the former Culture Secretary Michel Donilan is responsible for the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Technology, which aims to In advancing Sunak's vision to make the UK "the next Silicon Valley"; former housing secretary Lucy Fraser will lead the Ministry for Culture, Media and Sport.
"The government needs to reflect the priorities of the British people and deliver for them," Sunak wrote on Twitter. "These changes will allow the government team to focus on building a better future for our children and grandchildren."
In addition, former trade secretary Greg Hands has been named Conservative Party chairman, replacing the recently sacked former Conservative party leader Nazim Zahavi.
Earlier, Zahavi was dismissed for "serious violations of the code of conduct for cabinet ministers" due to personal financial problems.
Sunak has been unable to reduce his opposition Labor Party's lead in opinion polls since becoming prime minister in October 2022.
He pledged in January to tackle Britain's worst problems, including lowering inflation, fixing the NHS and reducing illegal immigration, in a bid to convince lawmakers to back the Conservatives at the next election.
But Tim Bell, professor of political science at Queen Mary University of London, said that even if some investors welcomed the move, he didn't think the departmental changes would "make a dent in the fortunes of (the Conservative Party) at the next election".