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Nothing highlights the weakness of a prime minister more than a botched ­ Cabinet reshuffle .

It’s the ultimate show of strength for a PM. The chance to clear out the deadwood and bring in new blood.

This week Theresa May showed that instead of leading a “strong and stable government” she’s become a prisoner of her Cabinet colleagues.

She wanted to move Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. After presiding over the biggest NHS crisis in history, she had good grounds too.

But when it became clear she didn’t want to make him her number two to replace the sacked Damian Green, he refused to budge.

(Image: AFP)

She then had to pretend she was giving him a promotion by adding social care to his department’s name. The NHS needs to be ­properly integrated with social care. May’s answer was to put it in Hunt’s job title.

The real reason we’re in such a mess with social care is that the Tories have cut £4.6billion from the budget.

That means fewer care ­packages for the elderly, leading to further bed-blocking in our over-stretched hospitals, and operations being cancelled for two months.

On top of that, because of 40 per cent cuts to council budgets, local authorities are being forced to raise council tax to try to make up for billions of pounds of cuts to social care.

Then there’s that useless Transport Secretary Chris ­Grayling. He’s made a mess of every job he’s done in government, from the Home Office to the Justice Department.

(Image: PA)

He’s cancelled much-needed rail electrification to the North and Midlands, and instead pumped money into a rail link between those much-deprived areas of, er, Oxford and Cambridge.

Then he allowed Virgin East Coast to wangle its way out of paying £2billion to the taxpayer by letting it end its franchise three years early, while forcing rail commuters to pay an inflation-busting 3.6 per cent fare increase.

May could see he was making a hash of it and wanted to move him to be Conservative Party Chair.

They even tweeted out his appointment. But Conservative HQ was so alarmed Failing Grayling was joining them, they reportedly revolted and the tweet was deleted within 37 seconds. The shortest Cabinet appointment of all time.

Then we had the embarrassment of Education Secretary Justine Greening refusing to move to the basket case that is the DWP.

Facing the prospect of trying to sort out the mess that is universal credit in the work and pensions department, Greening chose to make herself voluntarily redundant and left the Government.

(Image: Leon Neal)

Then what about arch leavers – Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, tipped for a demotion to a domestic Brexit role, and Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom, it was briefed would be axed?

May’s so weak now, both ended up staying where they were. Strong prime ministers make hard ­decisions and see them through.

I remember Tony sacking his best mate Peter Mandelson – twice. And he even gave Home Secretary Charles Clarke the boot too.

He was ruthless, as all PMs should be, but he had the charm and authority to see it through.

Cabinet reshuffles can breathe new life into a government. Fresh faces can bring in original ideas and strengthen your hand.

Instead, May has reshuffled a pack of ­clueless jokers and shown that, when it comes to weak leadership, nothing has changed.