The United Kingdom’s former First Secretary of the State and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was demoted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson Sept. 15. The reassignment occurred following Western countries pulling out of Afghanistan.
Johnson reassigned Raab to the position of Secretary of State for Justice and Deputy Prime Minister. The reassignment occurred after Raab received criticism about his vacation in Crete while the Taliban invaded Kabul, Afghanistan. However, voters’ perceptions of Raab have varied, especially after Raab chaired cabinet meetings for Johnson after he was hospitalized with COVID-19 in April 2020.
Following criticism from voters, Raab travelled to Qatar and spoke to the public about safely transporting British citizens and Afghan allies, as well as mentioned meeting with the Taliban to discuss their political platform. However, Raab emphasized that the U.K. would not recognize the Taliban’s political leadership in Afghanistan.
Raab, however, was not the only political leader who received backlash from voters about Afghanistan. U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken also received criticism, though political analysts suggested that Blinken received less negative press as he maintains a close relationship with President Joe Biden.
Following Biden calling on the U.S. to withdraw from Afghanistan, though, British voters criticized Johnson for not working with North Atlantic Treaty Organization members to mitigate the results of the U.S. withdrawing from Afghanistan.
Over the weekend from Sept. 17-19, Johnson flew to New York to work with the Biden administration.
Despite criticism of the U.K and the U.S. in their withdrawal from Afghanistan, a U.S. administration official noted that the U.K. “helped to mediate and explain…critical issues” in international affairs. Cooperative developments between the U.K. and the U.S. come after years of Johnson’s criticisms of former president Barack Obama and the wavering relationship with former president Donald Trump. As such, Johnson and his cabinet are hoping that the U.K. will be able to maintain a cooperative allyship with the U.S. as they work with the Biden administration in international affairs.
Raab was replaced by Liz Truss, who caught the attention of the Conservative Party’s leadership after negotiating a deal with Australia after the U.K. withdrew from the European Union. In addition to Raab’s reassignment, Johnson dismissed Secretary of State for Justice Robert Buckland, Secretary of State for Defence Gavin Williamson and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick.
The new cabinet met for the first time Sept. 17. In the meeting, Johnson emphasized on the cabinet’s support for Brexit, as well as the U.K.’s vaccine rollout. In regard to issues, Johnson advocated for aiding the National Health Service and the country’s unification.
Johnson’s restructuring of his cabinet is a strategic move after voters criticized Raab for his vacation while western military forces pulled out of Afghanistan, as well as granted Johnson the opportunity to develop a policy agenda closely with new political leaders.
Ultimately, Johnson shaking up the cabinet allows him to create a more modern, albeit conservative platform for the U.K. Adding new leadership will likely influence political affairs in the U.K., but time will only tell how voters respond to Johnson’s new cabinet members.
