Has David Davis' time come?

Chris Grayling continues to make headlines for all the wrong reasons, most recently due to comments he made about how B&B owners should have the right to turn away gay couples.

This follows other problems Grayling has caused such as his initial reaction to the news that General Dannatt was going to be a Tory adviser (he misunderstood and thought he was going to be a Labour adviser and hence questioned whether it was a gimmick) and misusing violent crime statistics leading to a rebuke from the UK Statistics Authority.

Can David Cameron really afford to keep someone like this in such a sensitive position? There are rumours that he will not now be appointed Home Secretary should the Tories win a majority but if that is the case, Cameron should be straight with us and move him now before the election.

I would suggest that there is an eminently suitable candidate waiting in the wings. David Davis was widely considered a very strong Shadow Home Secretary until he abruptly quit the role in 2008 to fight a by-election on the issue of civil liberties. He is respected throughout the Commons and would surely be an asset to Cameron. It would also show that the Tory leader is pragmatic enough to have another big beast alongside him and not to hold grudges for any perceived problems Davis caused with his controversial decision to fight the by-election.

So I think Cameron needs to either back his current Shadow Home Secretary and make it clear that is who we would be getting in that post if he wins a majority, or appoint a replacement for which I would suggest Davis is the front-runner.

I personally think Davis' time has come.