Folks are asking ‘why doesn’t Boris just bring Jeremy Hunt and other Tory centrists back to the Cabinet? We need experience'

The reason is it’s against the PM's instincts. He offered Hunt defence secretary after the 2019 leadership contest and won’t forget his ’no’ anytime soon.

Johnson was annoyed for some time that Hunt opted not to serve in his cabinet.

Other folks in No10 felt his interventions in the early days of the Covid crisis may have been motivated by leadership ambitions — even though Hunt has been right on almost everything in the pandemic

The PM's plan after the 2019 election was essentially for a placeholder cabinet - Brexit loyalists who would hang tough and help get the Canada-style deal he desired. Meanwhile he would promote + encourage younger talent who were totally loyal to him (the George Osborne strategy)

That plan for government could have worked in easier times, but it has clearly been wanting during the pandemic.

So the PM is stuck: it’s too soon to promote loyal 2017/2019 intake Tories, but is he ready and willing to let folks into the Cabinet who are not ‘his people’?

The departure of the Vote Leave contingent from No10 would certainly make it easer to give jobs to the likes of Hunt.

So much has changed in the last month too, with the schools/lockdown mess showing that the Johnson government desperately needs more governing experience.

Where the PM’s political instincts now are will be answered in the next reshuffle, most likely after May’s local elections. An opportunity to reset after the Tories suffer losses.

I’d guess he’s still hoping to weather the storm with his current Cabinet and reset on his terms