Gordo’s Cabinet Reshuffle
Gordon Brown has reshuffled his front bench, as he had to do after losing Ruth Kelly [you can see his first Cabinet here]. It has been described as an “economic war cabinet” to deal with the current economic situation, but seems like really very little important change - after all Alistair Darling remains as Chancellor.
Lots of movement in the lower ranks, but none in the really important positions - Chancellor, Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Health, neither Education positions. The two main changes are really Geoff Hoon going to Transport after the resignation of Ruth Kelly, and John Hutton moving to Defence after the resignation of Des Browne, who refused to take another position.
The other important change is the appointment of Ed Miliband as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change . This hasn’t been mentioned much in the media, but appears to me as a massive slap down for Hilary Benn. To take the topic of climate change from the Department of the Environment is really to remove it of much of its reason for existence.
There are two other returnees of note:
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Peter Mandelson returning from the EU for his “third time lucky” attempt at Cabinet office;
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Margaret Beckett returns as Housing Minister and Cabinet Enforcer.
Mandelson will be made a peer in order to enable him to take up his position as Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Rewarding a man who has had to be kicked out of government twice already for sleaze! Taking us back into the bad times of sleaze and spin, not exacting moving us forward into a new age.
Bringing a rat back to government and someone in order to keep order around his top table. That’s not the sign of a Prime Minister in charge of his government and his future.
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