The Brown Cabinet

[Silent Hunter]

Time for speculation on who the Brown Cabinet will be.

The Daily Mail was claiming a few days back that Straw will be Home Secretary again.

[Peter]

I can believe that given his recent loyalty. Watch out for Alistair Darling to be Foreign Secretary. David Miliband could be highly placed as well as a reward for not running.

Douglas Alexander will be retained without a doubt. Some have suggested that Stephen Timms (present Chief Sec to the Treasury) will be promoted direct to Chancellor. Look for Ed Balls to get a seat in Cabinet in one of the "junior" Secretary of State positions. Dawn Primarolo has also been a pretty loyal lieutenant to Gordon for a number of years in the Treasury- Chief Secretary perhaps?

Deputy PM will obviously be dependent on the Deputy Leadership race, and whoever gets that will need a substantive brief. On that note, didn't Jon Cruddas say that whoever was Deputy Leader didnt necessarily have to be DPM or in the Cabinet?

Anybody have any ideas who Brown likes "upstairs"? I can't see him retaining Amos (or Falcolner for that matter), but I could be wrong.

[Silent Hunter]

The People said today that Straw would be Chancellor. Considering the source, don't take that one too seriously. If it was Jack Straw in Doctor Who, I'd take it more seriously...

[Silent Hunter]

Hewitt's gone from Health.

[afleitch]

Rumours that John Bercow may jump to accept a Cabinet post. While I can understand why Gordon wants to encourage this, surely it must be a blow or even a moderate to the Labour rank and file to willingly seek to stock the Cabinet with non-Labour MP's?

[Verily]

Isn't Bercow's seat of Buckingham the safest Conservative seat?

Also, Bercow would be a Labour MP once he crossed

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Isn't Bercow's seat of Buckingham the safest Conservative seat?

Not far off; only New Forest West, Richmond (NR Yorks) and Kensington & Chelsea had bigger Tory majorities in 2005.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

You know, that area has actually had Labour M.P's before; back when it included the area that is now Milton Keynes. The last Labour M.P for Buckingham was... ah... er... erm... some fellow by the name of Maxwell...

In other news, Brown is reported to have met Baroness Williams (ie; Shirley Williams) in the Commons today... although she wasn't offered a ministerial job.

[Silent Hunter]

Here's the list that will be updated:

http://www.labour.org.uk/members_of_the_cabinet

[afleitch]

Rumours of a Ramsay MacDonald style approach continue. Conservative grassroots, I can say from observations, have pretty much fallen in line with David Cameron; his letter to Davies and his actions today have seen strong support. There's a quiet expectation there will be more defections, prompted by a junion ministerial position. Some of my Labour friends don't seem too happy about what might happen tomorrow.

[The Man From G.O.P.]

Rumours of a Ramsay MacDonald style approach continue. Conservative grassroots, I can say from observations, have pretty much fallen in line with David Cameron; his letter to Davies and his actions today have seen strong support. There's a quiet expectation there will be more defections, prompted by a junion ministerial position. Some of my Labour friends don't seem too happy about what might happen tomorrow.

Translation for Americans IYP?

[Sensei]

There was some talk of Ed Balls for Exchequer... Is that still likely?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Bump

According to le Beeb:

Chancellor: Darling
Foreign Sec: Miliband (David)
Home Sec: Smith
Health: Johnson
Schools & Children: Balls
Justice: Straw
Leader of the House: Harman
Defense: Brown (Des)
Int. Development: Alexander
Work & Pensions: Hain
Cabinet Office Minister: Miliband (Ed)
Culture: Purnell
Environment: Benn
Chief Whip: Hoon

Others to be confirmed, etc.

In other news, Baroness Williams has been offered an advisory role (to do with nuclear proliferation or something).

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Kelly for Transport, Hutton for Industry. Still a lot of unfilled posts...

[Silent Hunter]

Crack your "Chancellor Darling" jokes now rather than later...

[Silent Hunter]

Page has been updated. Straw is Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor. Woodward is NI Secretary.

Some new departments set up.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service
The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Rt Hon David Miliband MP

Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor
The Rt Hon Jack Straw MP

Secretary of State for the Home Department
The Rt Hon Jacqui Smith MP

Secretary of State for Defence; and, Secretary of State for Scotland
The Rt Hon Des Browne MP

Secretary of State for Health
The Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP

Secretary of State for International Development
The Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP

Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
The Rt Hon John Hutton MP

Leader of the House of Commons (and Lord Privy Seal); Minister for Women; and Labour Party Chair
The Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions; and Secretary of State for Wales
The Rt Hon Peter Hain MP

Secretary of State for Transport
The Rt Hon Ruth Kelly MP

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
The Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP

Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip
The Rt Hon Geoff Hoon MP

Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families
The Rt Hon Ed Balls MP

Minister for the Cabinet Office; and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Rt Hon James Purnell MP

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Rt Hon Shaun Woodward MP *

Leader of the House of Lords (and Lord President of the Council)
The Rt Hon the Baroness Ashton of Upholland

Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP

Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills
The Rt Hon John Denham MP

Also attending Cabinet Minister for the Olympics and London and South East
The Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP

Lords Chief Whip and Captain of the Gentlemen at Arms
The Rt Hon the Lord Grocott

Attorney General
The Rt Hon the Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC

Minister for Housing
Yvette Cooper MP

Minister for Africa, Asia and UN
Mark Malloch-Brown

Parliamentary Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister
Ian Austin MP

Angela E Smith MP

*Unpaid

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I love the irony of Jack Straw being Lord Chancellor; for those that don't know why, Straw calls himself Jack rather than John in honour of one of the leaders of the 1381 English Revolt. During that short-lived attempted revolution, the Lord Chancellor (Simon of Sudbury; also the Archbishop of Canterbury) was lynched by the the "Peasants"!

Other comments; nice to see Denham getting a job, nice to see that Shropshire will continue to be represented at the Cabinet (Lord Grocott), nice to see that Woodward isn't getting paid for his (he has more than enough money as it is) and interesting to see that Brown was able to get Mark Malloch-Brown into the Cabinet (sort of).

[Emsworth]

Since the Lord Chancellor is no longer the speaker of the House of Lords, is there a chance that Jack Straw might remain in the Commons? As he holds a very senior Cabinet position, it would in my opinion make sense for him to do so.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Since the Lord Chancellor is no longer the speaker of the House of Lords, is there a chance that Jack Straw might remain in the Commons? As he holds a very senior Cabinet position, it would in my opinion make sense for him to do so.

Yep; he's staying in the Commons. First Lord Chancellor to be an M.P.

[afleitch]

The fact that no Conservatives grace that list fills me with marginal joy.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

The fact that no Conservatives grace that list fills me with marginal joy.

Where's this talent pool?

[Silent Hunter]

Harriet Harman has a new nickname: "Three Hats Harman" (she's Leader of the Commons, Chairman of the Labour Party and Minister for Women. Lord Privy Seal doesn't really count). That'll probably be shortened to "Three Hats".

She's only the second woman Lord Privy Seal. As attributed to Ted Heath, she's never a Lord, a privy or a seal...

[Filuwaúrdjan]

All Junior Ministers:

LAW OFFICERS
- Attorney General - The Rt Hon the Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC**
- Solicitor General - Vera Baird QC MP
- Advocate General for Scotland - Lord Davidson of Glen Clova QC

HM TREASURY
- Financial Secretary to the Treasury - The Rt Hon Jane Kennedy MP
- Exchequer Secretary (Parliamentary Secretary) - Angela Eagle MP
- Economic Secretary (Parliamentary Secretary) - Kitty Ussher MP

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
- Minister of State (Europe) - Jim Murphy MP
- Minister of State - Sir Mark Malloch Brown KCMG**
- Minister of State - Dr Kim Howells MP
- Minister of State - Sir Digby Jones (jointly with DBERR)
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Meg Munn MP

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
- Minister of State - The Rt Hon David Hanson MP
- Minister of State - Michael Wills MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Lord Hunt of Kings Heath OBE
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Bridget Prentice MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Maria Eagle MP

HOME OFFICE
- Minister of State and Minister for the West Midlands - Liam Byrne MP
- Minister of State - Tony McNulty MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Vernon Coaker MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Admiral Sir Alan West GCB DSC
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Meg Hillier MP

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
- Minister of State - The Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP
- Minister of State - Lord Drayson* (jointly with DBERR)
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Derek Twigg MP

SCOTLAND OFFICE
- Minister of State - David Cairns MP

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
- Minister of State - The Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP
- Minister of State and Minister for the South West - Ben Bradshaw MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Professor Sir Ara Darzi
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Ann Keen MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Ivan Lewis MP

DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
- Minister of State - The Rt Hon the Lord Rooker
- Minister of State - Phil Woolas MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Joan Ruddock MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for the South East - Jonathan Shaw MP

DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Gareth Thomas MP (trade policy, jointly with DBERR)
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Shriti Vadera
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Shahid Malik MP*

OFFICE OF THE LEADER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS
- Parliamentary Secretary - Helen Goodman MP*

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM
- Minister of State - The Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP
- Minister of State - Sir Digby Jones (jointly with FCO)
- Minister of State - Pat McFadden MP
- Minister of State - Malcolm Wicks MP
- Minister of State - Lord Drayson* (jointly with MOD)
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Gareth Thomas MP (jointly with DfID)

DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS
- Minister of State - Mike O'Brien MP
- Minister of State and Minister for Yorkshire and the Humber - Caroline Flint MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Anne McGuire MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - James Plaskitt MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Lord McKenzie of Luton*
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for the East of England - Barbara Follett MP

WALES OFFICE
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Huw Irranca-Davies MP

DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT
- Minister of State - The Rt Hon Rosie Winterton MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Jim Fitzpatrick MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Tom Harris MP

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
- Minister of State - Yvette Cooper MP**
- Minister of State - John Healey MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Baroness Andrews OBE
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Parmjit Dhanda MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Ian Wright MP*

DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES
- Minister of State - Jim Knight MP
- Minister of State and Minister for the North West - The Rt Hon Beverley Hughes MP***
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Kevin Brennan MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Lord Adonis

CABINET OFFICE
- Parliamentary Secretary - Phil Hope MP
- Parliamentary Secretary and Minister for the East Midlands - Gillian Merron MP

- Minister for the Olympics and Minister for London (Paymaster General) - The Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP**

DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
- Minister of State - The Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MBE MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Gerry Sutcliffe MP

NORTHERN IRELAND OFFICE
- Minister of State - Paul Goggins MP

DEPARTMENT FOR INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS
- Minister of State - Bill Rammell MP
- Minister of State - Ian Pearson MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - David Lammy MP
- Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Lord Triesman

WHIPS - HOUSE OF COMMONS
- Deputy Chief Whip (Treasurer of HM Household) and Minister for the North East of England - The Rt Hon Nick Brown MP
- Government Whip (Comptroller of HM Household) - The Rt Hon Thomas McAvoy MP
- Government Whip (Vice Chamberlain of HM Household) - Liz Blackman MP

Junior Lords of the Treasury
- Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury) - Frank Roy MP
- Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury) - Steve McCabe MP
- Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury) - Alan Campbell MP
- Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury) - David Watts MP
- Government Whip (Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury) - Claire Ward MP

Assistant Whips
- Assistant Government Whip - Siobhian McDonagh MP
- Assistant Government Whip - Michael Foster MP (Worcester)
- Assistant Government Whip - Tony Cunningham MP
- Assistant Government Whip - Alison Seabeck MP
- Assistant Government Whip - Diana Johnson MP*
- Assistant Government Whip - Mark Tami MP*
- Assistant Government Whip - Sadiq Khan MP*
- Assistant Government Whip - Bob Blizzard MP
- Assistant Government Whip - Tom Watson MP
- Assistant Government Whip - Wayne David MP

WHIPS - HOUSE OF LORDS
- Deputy Chief Whip (Captain of The Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard) - Lord Davies of Oldham

Baronesses and Lords in Waiting
- Baroness in Waiting - Baroness Crawley
- Baroness in Waiting - Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
- Baroness in Waiting - Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton
- Baroness in Waiting (paid as Parliamentary Secretary) - Baroness Morgan of Drefelin
- Lord in Waiting - Lord Evans of Temple Guiting CBE
- Lord in Waiting - Lord Bassam of Brighton
- Lord in Waiting - Lord Truscott*

Parliamentary Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister
- Ian Austin MP
- Angela E Smith MP

Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Chief Whip
- Sarah McCarthy-Fry MP

In addition, the following appointments have also been made today:

- Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington QPM to be the Prime Minister's Senior Adviser on International Security Issues.

- Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC to advise the Secretary of State for Justice on aspects of constitutional reform.

- Joan Ryan MP to be Special Representative to Cyprus.

- Baroness Neuberger will work with the Prime Minister, the Government and the voluntary sector to champion volunteering.

 


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* unpaid
** attends Cabinet
*** attends Cabinet when social policy issues are being discussed

[Emsworth]

Why does no one seem to like the name "Department of Trade and Industry"? After the last general election, its title was changed to "Productivity, Energy, and Industry," giving rise to some rather unfortunate nicknames and acronyms. Now, it's been changed to "Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform," which is rather clunky. Does anyone know why the simple and straightforward "Trade and Industry" is so objectionable?