The Cabinet needs an injection of normal people into its ranks
LAST week on this page I warned that a “silver spoon set” of ministers was damaging the Tory brand and picked out a particular department as exemplifying the trend.
It was the Cabinet Office where all three ministers are not only from privileged back- grounds but are sons of former Tory bigwigs.
Francis Maude was one of those ministers and this week my warning about the potential for him to sound out of touch and to annoy Middle Britain came home to roost.
First he was wheeled out to defend David Cameron over the “Donorgate” row but came across as aloof by speaking of “kitchen suppers” in a manner that presupposed everyone has a kitchen big enough to eat in as well as a separate and more formal dining room.
Then he made his buffoonish comment about filling up a jerry can with petrol and keeping it in the garage. It had clearly escaped his attention that relatively few people have garages and many of those who do have long since convert- ed them to much-needed indoor space.
Francis Maude was one of those ministers and this week my warning about the potential for him to sound out of touch and to annoy Middle Britain came home to roost
When the Fire Brigades Union warned that keeping petrol in the garage was unsafe one half expected Mr Maude to retort that in that case perhaps it could be kept in an outbuild- ing or stable block instead.
With George Osborne entangled in a “let them eat cold pasties” moment when asked about VAT on hot food the Government’s Achilles heel was completely exposed.
Interestingly it was Transport Minister Mike Penning, a down to earth former fireman, who came to the rescue. The burly Mr Penning can talk about pasties with conviction and also gave advice about petrol shortages with the authority of someone who sounded like he was used to filling up his own tank.
Unlike Mr Maude, Mr Penning is no Cambridge graduate. But the Tory front bench needs many more Pennings and not so many Maudes.
Given Mr Cameron’s established preference for filling his Cabinet with chaps like himself, this will not be music to his ears. But the Prime Minister’s even stronger instinct for self-preservation needs to kick in soon and I am sure that it will.