Hertfordshire MP promoted to Party Chairman

Grant Shapps leaving 10 Downing Street this morning Credit: Yui Mok/Press Association Images

The Welwyn Hatfield MP Grant Shapps has said he is delighted with his new Cabinet job as the Conservative Party Chairman, moving from his previous role as Housing Minister. You can expect to see and hear more of him on the television and radio from now on, as the role is often seen as a spokesperson for the Government on many different and sometimes difficult issues.

Another Hertfordshire MP, Oliver Heald, returns to Government as Solicitor General. The North East Hertfordshire MP was a social security Minister in John Major's Government in the mid 1990's. He held several roles for the Conservatives in opposition but has been on the backbenches since 2007.

After completing his Cabinet appointments David Cameron will now be turning his attention to the rest of his ministerial teams. It is understood that he will conduct quite a wide-ranging reshuffle of these roles. This is the Prime Minister's first major reshuffle since the 2010 general election, so it is a chance for some of our region's newer MPs to get on the first rung of the ministerial ladder.

ONES TO WATCH:

MPs from the East who could be in line for promotion include the West Suffolk MP Matthew Hancock. He is a former advisor to George Osborne and is still close to the Chancellor.

The South West Norfolk MP Liz Truss is a frequent contributor to debates on education policy and could be earmarked for an education job. The Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman and the Central Suffolk and North Ipswich MP Dan Poulter are both advisors on Government policy, and they may be winners in this reshuffle too.

It is also worth watching out for whether 'rebel' MPs like the South Northamptonshire MP Andrea Leadsom get a new job. The Prime Minister may want to promote even those who have voted against the Government to keep the right wing of his party happy.

It is a tricky balancing act for David Cameron to keep old faces and new talent content while allocating a limited number of jobs. As Conservative MPs wait by their phones over the next 24 hours to see whether they have got a promotion, it may be those who have not been so lucky as much as those who have who define whether or not this reshuffle proves a success.