Isabel Hardman

The coalition's leaders like to stick to the line that the partnership is professional and business-like when they describe how policy is made. Newly-appointed business minister Michael Fallon struck a slightly different note this morning, though, when he appeared on the Today programme. He said: 'I think everybody has been frustrated: nobody likes being in coalition and everybody's impatient for growth.' He chose his words carefully when describing the 'different perspectives' that he and his new boss Vince Cable take on the labour market and deregulation: 'We're in different parties, we come from different perspectives and sometimes you'll see we use different language.

Roger Bootle is managing director of Capital Economics, and winner of the Wolfson Economics Prize. As the government launches another attempt at boosting UK growth, the economist, who describes himself as a 'rare right-wing Keynesian' shares his thoughts on ministers' economic prowess with Coffee House readers. Do you think the government will be able to fight the next general election on the issue of the economy? 'I think it's too early to tell, but if the economy is completely flatlining and the deficit does not go down - which seems to me to be perfectly possible, there are strong signs things are going to look bad for them.

One issue that the reshuffle makes no difference to at all is the Conservative party's Europe problem. If the Prime Minister managed to forget about the pressure from his own party for an EU referendum over the summer, he's about to be reminded of it. In late June, Tory MP John Baron handed a letter to David Cameron signed by over 100 of his backbench colleagues calling for the government to introduce legislation now for a referendum on European Union membership in the next parliament. He has still not received a response, even though the Prime Minister said he would write back. Last week, Baron pestered Cameron's office, and this week, he has tabled a parliamentary question which must receive a response within five days.

Reshuffles always leave a pile of bruised, vulnerable ex-ministers waiting for someone to come along, pick them up and make them feel loved again. This year, that person is Boris Johnson, who can make good use of those leaving the government as allies within Parliament. This is why he popped up so quickly today to attack the decision to move Justine Greening. He said: 'There can be only one reason to move her - and that is to expand Heathrow Airport. It is simply mad to build a new runway in the middle of west London. Nearly a third of the victims of aircraft noise in the whole of Europe live in the vicinity of Heathrow. 'Now it is clear that the Government wants to ditch its promises and send yet more planes over central London.