New Brit PM Boris Johnson Immediately Brings in True Conservatives, Goes with Reagan, Thatcher Fan as Home Secretary
It’s a brand new day in the United Kingdom.
Why?
Well, upon taking office Wednesday, new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson started cleaning house in his Cabinet, as the Washington Examiner noted.
Johnson has ditched his predecessor Theresa May’s more moderate allies in favor of an inner circle bursting with conservative credentials. One new Cabinet member even seems to be a fan of none other than former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
The first eye-catching appointee is Sajid Javid, a son of Pakistani immigrants and self-made millionaire. Javid, a staunch capitalist, will take over as Chancellor of the Exchequer, the British government’s second-most powerful position.
Among his main jobs is setting the budget, and fiscal responsibility is high on his list of priorities.
And American conservatives will no doubt be fans of Javid’s replacement as head of the government’s Home Office, Priti Patel.
Patel is known for her strong support of Israel, which makes her a brilliant choice to lead counterterrorism efforts.
She also seems to choose her political influences wisely.
Her Majesty’s new Secretary of State for the Home Department has Priti good taste in twitter background images. pic.twitter.com/pdLFAJPrZP
— John McGuirk (@john_mcguirk) July 24, 2019
“Her Majesty’s new Secretary of State for the Home Department has Priti good taste in twitter background images,” Irish political commentator John McGuirk tweeted.
And yes, that is a picture of Reagan and former U.S. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on Patel’s Twitter background. Glorious.
Let’s not forget the Brexit angle, here, as Johnson also appointed Dominic Raab as his foreign secretary.
Raab notably resigned from his post as Brexit secretary after expressing displeasure with May’s underwhelming performance. He’ll likely be a major driving force in ginning up foreign support for Britain’s exit from the European Union.
Raab will also be quite visible to Americans as he seeks to secure a post-Brexit trade deal with the United States.
Johnson’s new government is taking shape, and his Cabinet is turning out to be a who’s who of British conservative figures.
He may face some resistance, however.
The Conservative Party does feature its fair share of moderates, and they might worry that a staunchly right-wing government would be unattractive to independent voters.
Nevertheless, this is a promising sign. Conservatism in the United Kingdom is not dead, and Britain’s conservative American allies should cheer its revival.
Hopefully, this is only the beginning.
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