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9 February 2023

Will Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle restore his authority?

Critics say the Prime Minister’s cabinet changes and Whitehall restructure only reveal his weaknesses.

Rishi Sunak is struggling to restore order over a divided and unruly Conservative party. His latest attempt, this week, takes the form of a cabinet reshuffle and a restructuring of Whitehall that created four new government departments.

Anoosh Chakelian, Rachel Wearmouth and Freddie Hayward break down the main changes and talk about what this disruptive and expensive move tells us about Sunak’s grip on his party.

They also discuss the appointment of the controversial “red wall rottweiler” Lee Anderson as deputy Conservative Party chairman and whether the new departments promise a new political direction.

Then in You Ask Us a listener asks: what is the cost of strikes compared with the cost of giving workers pay rises?

If you have a question for You Ask Us, go to newstatesman.com/youaskus

Podcast listeners can subscribe to the New Statesman for just £1 a week for 12 weeks using our special offer. Just visit newstatesman.com/podcastoffer

[See also: Rishi Sunak, the man who isn’t there]

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