Rishi Sunak appointed ‘F***ing Useless’ Tory Minister to Cabinet

Rishi Sunak appointed a minister to his cabinet despite believing she was “f***ing useless”, according to a book.

The diaries of Conservative chief whip Simon Hart revealed that the then-Prime Minister had reservations about the promotion during a 2023 reshuffle.

The book, serialised in The Times, claimed Sunak felt he had no choice but to go ahead with the appointment and admitted to Hart “we can’t get rid of her”.

Hart did not reveal the minister’s name but in the February reshuffle, three women were promoted to the cabinet or given enhanced briefs.

The most senior was Kemi Badenoch, who was handed the business brief on top of her role as international trade secretary.

Michelle Donelan, who had previously been culture secretary, was promoted to become science and technology secretary. She got the job after Michael Gove turned it down.

Lucy Frazer was promoted to the cabinet as culture secretary, having previously been the housing minister.

In the diaries, Hart criticised the minister for failing to appreciate her new role:

“(She) is less grateful than her promotion deserves and more entitled than professionals should be when selected by the PM for high office.”

He recalled Rishi Sunak saying: “Let’s all agree about one thing. She is f***ing useless but we can’t get rid of her.”

The diaries also included Hart’s observations on Sunak and other senior government officials.

He said that he “cannot find a mutually usable wavelength” with Badenoch and observed:

“She lives in a permanent state of outrage. It must be so tiring.”

Hart claimed Robert Jenrick believed civil servants were placing asylum seekers in hotels on Tory marginal seats in an attempt to damage them.

Hart described how Sunak sacked his Home Secretary Suella Braverman.

He wrote: “After some token pleasantries all hell breaks loose.

“He puts her on speakerphone and everybody is listening in around the table, laden with discarded notes.”

“Once [Sunak] has made clear his intentions, there comes this ghastly ten-minute diatribe of vindictive and personal bile.

“It’s hard to know how to react at moments like this, or where to look.

“Part of me feels that this is a private call and that we are all eavesdropping, but the other part realises that for the protection of the PM and the government there needs to be a note taken and a record saved.

“So, we sit in astonished silence, doing our best not to grimace, smile or give any indication of what we feel.”