Burnham's purge

We haven't seen anything like it since Harold Macmillan's Night of the Long Knives when he sacked seven Cabinet ministers in an unsuccessful bid to boost his fading popularity.

The Lord Chancellor, Lord Kilmuir, had repeatedly told Supermac that his place was at his disposal, but when he was sacked he complained that a cook would be given more notice.

In the Commons then backbench MP Jeremy Thorpe commented, 'Greater love hath no man that he lay down his friends for his life.'

Now the Starmerites (whomsoever they might be) have felt the blade of the King of the North.  Some talented people have been axed. while Lord Sawar (as he now is) has been brought down from Scotland as a reward for the first person to call for Starmer to go.   Enoch Powell said that all political careers end in failure, but his limp performance in the Scottish Parliament elections seems to have been forgiven.

On Sky News's The Wrap last night examples were given of north-west MPs be given preferment or, even it was alleged, the partner of a Burnham backer.

Burnham had better be careful.   Darren Jones has also plunged the knife in by pointing out that the removal of VAT on domestic electricity is unfunded.

It was surely a mistake to remove Nick Thomas-Symonds from the Cabinet Office given his understanding of the complex and delicate negotiations with the EU.

Do prime ministers and chancellors always fall out?

In article in the Evening Standard yesterday reviewing Alastair Darling's memoirs the distinguished political commentator Anthony Seldon argued, 'Britain has specialised in bad relationships between prime ministers and chancellors.' If that is the case, the consequences for the conduct of economic policy would be very serious as this relationship is the very fulcrum of government.

Seldon is able to produce a number of examples to support his case: (arguably) Howe and Thatcher; Lawson and Thatcher (although not initially); Lamont and Major; and Brown and Darling.

But one could produce counter examples. Seldon has to concede Clarke and Major. Healey from 1974 to 1979 had an effective working relationship with Wilson and then Callaghan. And the relationship between Osborne and Cameron seems to be harmonious and effective.

But then Cameron allows Osborne to get on with the job. The worst situations arise when the prime minister really wants to be chancellor as well. That was a problem with Macmillan's succession of chancellors and it was with Edward Heath, having seen the untimely death of Iain Macleod in the opening weeks of his administration. Anthony Barber was arguably one of the least impressive of post-war chancellors and lacked the authority and political base to stand up to Heath.

Given the importance of this relationship, it is remarkable how little systematic research there has been on it.

Bad weather leads to minister's resignation

Stewart Stevenson as depicted by The Sun

Is Scotland's transport minister, Stewart Stevenson, the first cabinet member to be forced out of office by bad weather? Wily Scottish first minister Alex Salmond seemed to think so and quoted from Burns to make his point.

But he knew that the minister could not survive a no confidence vote in the Scottish Parliament this week. He had been targeted in a tabloid campaign which included unflattering photographs and cartoon versions of his less than prepossessing appearance.

The minister wasn't critcised because the weather was bad, but because information was not released quickly enough about how bad conditions were leading lorry drivers and motorists to be trapped overnight in their cars. It is fortunate that no one died as a result. The minister then compounded his errors by going on television and declaring that there had been a 'first class response'.

There is a Scottish Parliament election next May and the gloves are starting to come off. The transport minister had to be sacrificed for his party. It all reminds us of Harold Macmillan's warning of the importance in politics of 'Events, dear boy, events.'