Evidently even Boris Johnson did not agree with Tim Bale’s assessment that history might judge his cabinet more kindly (“Lost causes,” October), as he got rid of the two most obviously hopeless ministers, Robert Jenrick and Gavin Williamson, and demoted Dominic Raab.
As Bale pointed out, every cabinet has its weak members, and at the time the “wets” in Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet were mocked as “vegetables.” But, as I remember from hours spent in the lobby in those days, her cabinet included big beasts like Michael Heseltine and Geoffrey Howe, who could ultimately bring her down.