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Brown's new Cabinet
July 5, 2007 12:02 AM
After taking over as prime minister from Tony Blair, Gordon Brown has chose his new Cabinet last week unfortunately as I was busy with other work I didn't get a chance to comment on it so this is a little later then most peoples comments.
There has been much discussion about the people who have moved but I think that it is also important to think about the changes of departments. For me there was no surprise that the Department for Trade and Industry Secretary was renamed some people may remember that Tony tried something similar after 2005 general election. I was surprised that the Department for Education and Skills Secretary was split into two and that the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills were created. I was surprised that there was no change to the departments for Communities and Local Government and Culture, Media and Sport. I was hoping that the department for Communities and Local Government would have been merged with the Scottish Office, the Northern Ireland Office and the Walsh Office and that the department of Culture, Media and Sport would be scrapped or have its responsibilities split between the departments of Education & Skills and Trade & Industry.
Since Tony Blair left the cabinet I was not surprised to see Baroness Amos (had previously been nominated for a foreign job), Hilary Armstrong, John Reid, Lord Falconer, Patricia Hewitt and Tessa Jowell also leave the cabinet. The departures I was not expecting were those of Stephen Timms and Margaret Beckett and I did think that were was a chance that John Hutton and Ruth Kelly would leave the cabinet.
There was no surprise that Alistair Darling replaced Gordon Brown as Chancellor of Exchequer, I was surprised that Harriet Harman became Leader of the House of Commons I thought she would have been offered a department maybe health or education. There was little surprise that there was a change of Chief Whip however I didn't think Geoff Hoon would replace Jacqui Smith. I was expecting Nick Brown to return to the cabinet and do this job especially given that he was Chief Whip from 1997-2001. I was surprised that the new Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government was Hazel Blears I was expecting that to be Yvette Cooper. Although given that the Minister for Housing will be attending Cabinet it shouldn't be too big a surprise that Yvette Cooper didn't get a cabinet post. I was surprised that Des Browne remains Secretary of State for Defence and gains the role of Secretary of State for Scotland I thought that he would be moved to the Department of International Development. I was surprised that the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was Hilary Benn I thought that David Miliband would retain this role as I thought that Margaret Beckett would remain Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. I was surprised that the new Secretary of State for Justice is Jack Straw I was expecting him to return to the Home Office but given the work he has been doing on constitutional reform it maybe just for continuity that he remains in this post. Like I said I was expecting Jack Straw to return to the Home Office so Jacqui Smith's appointment was a surprise. There was no surprise that Peter Hain was moved especially given that his job had been offered to someone else rather publicly.
There was little surprise that Ed Miliband, Ed Balls and John Denham joined the cabinet however there are some names missing which was a little surprise to me like I said I expected Nick Brown to be the Chief Whip but I also expected Caroline Flint, Kitty Ussher, Liam Byrne and Stephen Timms to be given better jobs.
I wonder how long we will have to wait for the next reshuffle and which of the current cabinet members will leave and who may join the cabinet.
Full list of the Government - http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page2988.asp
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