(Redirected from United Kingdom Cabinet reshuffle, May 2006)Following poor results for the
Labour Party in the
local elections in
England on
4 May 2006,
British Prime Minister Tony Blair held a '
Cabinet reshuffle' the following day.
Changes
Secretary of State for the Home Department
John Reid moved from
Defence to become the new
Home Secretary, following Blair's decision to remove
Charles Clarke from the position. Clarke refused the offer of other Cabinet positions and has returned to the back benches. This is John Reid's ninth cabinet position in nine years.
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Margaret Beckett, previously
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, was promoted to become Britain's first ever female
Foreign Secretary, replacing
Jack Straw. Straw had held the prominent position from 2001 and was heavily involved in the
War on terror. Straw's departure from his role as Foreign Secretary had not been widely predicted, but the move apparently came at his own request for a change following nearly a decade of service in front-line positions in the Cabinet, first as
Home Secretary and then as Foreign Secretary
[1] although others have argued that Straw was sacked for his growing allegiance with Gordon Brown and dismissal of military action against Iran.
[2] Straw became
Leader of the House of Commons and
Lord Privy Seal, and also took over responsibility for
reform of the House of Lords and
political party funding.
Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State
John Prescott remained as
Deputy Prime Minister and
First Secretary of State, but was stripped of all the departmental ministerial responsibilities formerly associated with the
office, apparently at his own request, following the revelation that he had an affair with his secretary. These responsibilities were taken over by
Ruth Kelly under the new title of
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
Leader of the House of Commons, Lords Reform and Party Funding
Jack Straw, formerly
Foreign Secretary, took over the
leadership of the house of commons and the
sinecure office of
Lord Privy Seal from
Geoff Hoon (who became
Minister of State for Europe). Responsibility for
Reform of the House of Lords and
political party funding was transferred from the
Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs.
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
Alistair Darling, formerly both the
Secretary of State for Transport and the
Secretary of State for Scotland, replaced
Alan Johnson as the
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. Johnson was moved to become
Secretary of State for Education and Skills.
Cabinet Office and Social Exclusion Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Hilary Armstrong moved from her former function as
Chief Whip and
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury to become
Minister of State for the
Cabinet Office and for "Social Exclusion". She also filled the traditional
sinecure office of
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which had been vacant since
John Hutton was promoted to replace
David Blunkett as
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in November 2005.
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
Alan Johnson, formerly
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, became the new
Secretary of State for Education and Skills. He replaced
Ruth Kelly, who moved to the new office of
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Ruth Kelly, formerly
Secretary of State for Education and Skills, became the new
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. This department took over some functions from the Home Office and the Department for Trade and Industry, especially connected with equality legislation, but the bulk of the department was made up of the former
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which was run by
John Prescott before he lost his departmental responsibilities in the reshuffle, and also takes over the responsibilities of
David Miliband, former
Minister of State for Communities and Local Government.
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
David Miliband moved from his position in the Cabinet as
Minister of State for Communities and Local Government to become the new
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He replaced
Margaret Beckett, who was promoted to become
Foreign Secretary.
Secretary of State for Defence
Des Browne replaced
John Reid as
Secretary of State for Defence. He was previously
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, another Cabinet position. Reid was promoted to become
Home Secretary.
Secretary of State for Transport and Secretary of State for Scotland
The roles of
Secretary of State for Transport and
Secretary of State for Scotland were filled by
Douglas Alexander. Both of these positions were formerly held by
Alistair Darling, who became
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
Minister without Portfolio and Party Chairman
Hazel Blears replaced
Ian McCartney as
Minister without Portfolio and
Party Chair. McCartney was demoted to become
Minister of State for Trade, attending the Cabinet, but not actively voting in it.
Chief Whip and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
The new
Chief Whip and
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury is
Jacqui Smith, replacing
Hilary Armstrong. Smith was previously
Minister of State for Schools in the
Department for Education and Skills. Armstrong became to
Minister of State for the
Cabinet Office and for "Social Exclusion", and
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Stephen Timms was promoted to Cabinet rank to become the new
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, replacing
Des Browne. Timms has served in the Treasury twice before, in the more junior office of
Financial Secretary to the Treasury, and was
Minister for Pensions before the reshuffle. This is Timms' first Cabinet appointment.
Minister for Europe, attending Cabinet
Geoff Hoon, formerly
Leader of the House of Commons and
Lord Privy Seal, became the new
Minister of State at the
Foreign Office responsible for Europe. Initial reports billed him as "Secretary of State for Europe", which may have been his understanding at the time he left
Downing Street.
[3] Although he continues to attend the Cabinet, he has lost his Cabinet vote, and his new position is a substantial demotion.
[4]
Cabinet from 5 May 2006
References
★
Official list of cabinet and junior ministers after the changes, from the 10 Downing Street website
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