Jeremy Hunt’s expected promotion could be on hold due to NHS winter crisis
2 min read
Theresa May maybe forced to hold off on a suspected promotion for the Health Secretary as the NHS struggles to cope with the demands of winter, according to a national newspaper.
The Daily Telegraph understands plans to promote Jeremy Hunt to the position of de-facto Deputy Prime Minister vacated by Damien Green before Christmas, could be on hold.
Sources told journalists “it would look bad” for the Health Secretary to be promoted in the middle of a health crisis.
The Cabinet source said: “Everyone is expecting Jeremy to get Damian Green’s job, but it would look bad to replace the Health Secretary in the middle of an NHS emergency.
“There is a debate going on about whether she could reshuffle other posts and somehow delay Jeremy’s promotion, perhaps by announcing he has got the job but saying he won’t start for another few weeks.”
The Prime Minister is expected to spend the weekend weighing up whether it is worth moving Mr Hunt now or keeping him in post until the spring.
May is thought to be planning a reshuffle after she lost three ministers in the later end of last year.
However, key players such as Amber Rudd and Boris Johnson are believed to be staying put at the Home and Foreign Office so as not to destabilise the already fragile government.
Like Damian Green, Mr Hunt has never harboured serious ambitions of succeeding Mrs May as Prime Minister or Conservative Party leader - which cannot be said for many other senior members of the Cabinet.
“He is a likeable chap,” one Cabinet source said yesterday. “He will have plenty of support from the Cabinet if he takes on Damian’s old role, and that’s not something you could say about many ministers.
“The Prime Minister needs someone who can go into bat for her when she’s not there, someone who can take on the workload of the Cabinet committees and make progress without threatening her authority, and Jeremy is the person who ticks all those boxes.”
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