Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Reshuffle.
Reshuffle
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) briefed journalists on today’s changes. As had been advertised yesterday, it had been a limited, rather than a major, reshuffle. The Prime Minister had made few changes at the top because he was happy with the way the Cabinet had worked and focussed on the job since the General Election last year. At the junior level, however, he had taken the opportunity to bring in a number of new people to give them a chance to make an impact in Government.
As had been widely reported, the remit of the DTLR had changed. The Prime Minister wanted a single-minded focus on delivering improvements to transport.
Alistair Darling had a proven track record in some of the most difficult and complex policy areas. At the DWP, following a difficult period for the Department and the merging of the Benefits Agency and Employment Service, he had delivered real progress and real cultural change with maximum focus and minimum fuss. He had worked closely with his Permanent Secretary at DWP, Rachel Lomax - an excellent example of a Minister and Senior Civil Servant working together - and she would be going with him to the Department of Transport.
As Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Andrew Smith had shown his ability to master detail and tackle complex cross-cutting issues. During his time as Minister with responsibility for the New Deal, he had also shown his understanding of, and commitment to, the rights and responsibilities agenda which the Prime Minister saw as vital to the Government’s welfare reform programme in the second term. The Prime Minister therefore believed that Mr Smith was ideally suited to be Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Sir Richard Mottram would replace Rachel Lomax as Permanent Secretary at DWP.
Paul Boateng was one of several Ministers of State with the ability to be in the Cabinet. He had impressed his colleagues in every job he had done, whether at the Lord Chancellor’s Department, as Prisons’ Minister in the Home Office or his previous role in the Treasury.
In his role as Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott would continue to deputise for the Prime Minister at home and overseas, and would continue his range of Cabinet Committee work. The Prime Minister had also asked him to take on additional responsibilities - currently at DTLR - into the new Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), which was separate from the Cabinet Office. This meant that regional and local government, housing and planning and the Government’s cross-cutting agenda for neighbourhood renewal and social inclusion would be handled by a central department.
The Deputy Prime Minister would also be responsible for implementing the Regional Government and Local Government White Papers. Mavis McDonald, formerly Permanent Secretary at the Cabinet Office, would become the Permanent Secretary at the new ODPM. Asked if Mr Prescott had been demoted, the PMOS said certainly not. He queried how the journalist had managed to reach that conclusion when he had just pointed out that Mr Prescott had been given additional responsibilities on top of those which already existed.
The Minister for the Cabinet Office - outside the Cabinet - was Lord Macdonald. He would support the Cabinet in driving forward public service delivery and reform and also in tackling regulation. He would be supported by Douglas Alexander, who would speak on Cabinet Office issues in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister wanted Mr Alexander at the centre of Government because of his strategic skills. Both Lord Macdonald and Mr Alexander would report directly to the Prime Minister.
The PMOS went through other notable changes which had been made today.
David Miliband had been appointed Minister of State in charge of schools at the Department for Education and Skills. Stephen Twigg had become Parliamentary-under-Secretary at the same Department, moving from his current role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the House of Commons.
Lord Falconer had been put in charge of the Criminal Justice System at the Home Office. Lord Rooker would be replacing Lord Falconer and would have responsibility for housing and planning in ODPM. Beverley Hughes had been promoted to Minister of State in charge of tackling the issue of asylum and immigration.
Ruth Kelly had been promoted to Financial Secretary at the Treasury. John Healey had taken over as Economic Secretary, moving from DfES.
Mike O’Brien had returned to Government as Parliamentary-under-Secretary at the Foreign Office with responsibility for the Middle East.
Tony McNulty had been appointed Parliamentary-under-Secretary at ODPM, moving from the Whips’ Office in the Commons. Anne McGuire had also moved from the Whips’ Office and had become Parliamentary Secretary at the Scotland Office. Joan Ryan and Derek Twigg had both been appointed Assistant Government Whips. Bruce Grocott, the Prime Minister’s former Parliamentary Private Secretary, had been appointed Chief Whip in the Lords.
David Lammy had been appointed Parliamentary-under-Secretary at the Department of Health. Ben Bradshaw had become Parliamentary Secretary at the Privy Council Office, moving from the Foreign Office. Stephen Timms had moved from DfES to become Minister of State with responsibility for E-Commerce at DTI. Hilary Benn had become Parliamentary-under-Secretary at the Home Office. His replacement at the Department for International Development was Sally Keeble.
Asked for a list of those leaving the Government, the PMOS said that those leaving included Stephen Byers (DTLR), Angela Eagle (Home Office), George Foulkes (Scotland Office), Keith Bradley (Home Office), Michael Wills (LCD), Lord Carter (Lords Chief Whips), Graham Stringer (Whip), Alan Whitehead (DTLR).
Asked for a list of those coming into the Government, the PMOS said the cast list included Mike O’Brien (Foreign Office), David Lammy (Department of Health), David Miliband, Jim Murphy (Whips), Derek Twigg (Whips), Joan Ryan (Whips), Christine Crawley (Lords Whips).
In answer to questions about the new Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the PMOS said that the Deputy Prime Minister would retain all his existing responsibilities, including the full range of his Cabinet Committee work, representing the Prime Minister both at home and overseas, and tackling climate change.
Following today’s reshuffle, he had been given responsibility for local government and regional issues in which he had retained a very keen interest. He was also now in charge of neighbourhood renewal and social exclusion. Responsibility for the Civil Service and other such areas were now a matter for Lord Macdonald.
Asked whether Mr Prescott had been given responsibility for any Euro referendum, the PMOS said that DTLR’s former responsibility for electoral law and processes would transfer to the Lord Chancellor’s Department. Questioned as to whether the Deputy Prime Minister’s new role meant that he would have to stay at home more, the PMOS said that Mr Prescott would continue to represent the Prime Minister both at home and abroad as when necessary.
Put to him that the establishment of the ODPM was an admission that the DTLR structure was too unwieldy, the PMOS said that the overall structure of Government tended to evolve as time went by. For example, when the time had come for MAFF to be replaced, we had thought it made better sense to combine the environment portfolio with agriculture and rural affairs - hence the establishment of DEFRA.
The Government’s priority in its first term had been to establish its overall strategic vision, as had been summed up in the Ten-Year Transport Plan. Implementing that strategic vision clearly required a specific focus. That was why it made sense to set up a separate Department of Transport. Through his track record at DWP, Alistair Darling had proven that he could implement the Government’s vision. That was precisely what we believed he would continue to do in his new job as Transport Secretary.
Asked why five out of the last six Transport Ministers had been Scottish and whether such a policy really made sense, the PMOS said that nationality should not be seen as an issue in this case. In our view, it was more important to recognise the need for a single focus to deliver on transport, which was what we were determined to do. Asked whether John Spellar would continue to attend Cabinet, the PMOS said no. Alistair Darling would attend as Secretary of State for Transport. Asked whether there had been any change in Lord Birt’s responsibilities as a result of the decision to set up a separate Department of Transport, the PMOS said no.
Asked who had been given responsibility for the Dome, the PMOS said that that decision had yet to be finalised.
Asked why there had been a ‘bloodbath’ at the Home Office, the PMOS said he didn’t recognise the characterisation. Questioned as to why the Home Office had lost three of its five Ministers, the PMOS said it was important to put things into context. Lord Rooker was a very hard working Minister. He was moving to an important job at the ODPM where he would have responsibility for housing - an issue which was rising in importance, particularly in the South East.
Moreover, Beverley Hughes had been promoted to Minister of State within the Department to tackle the issue of asylum and immigration. In order to deliver on the Home Secretary’s very clear vision on tackling crime, it was clear that that the Home Office needed to employ people with particular skills. Obviously, the Prime Minister recognised those skills in someone like Lord Falconer.
Asked whether Barbara Roche had left the Government, the PMOS said no. She had been appointed Ministers of State at the ODPM. Asked if the Prime Minister had any thoughts on the work carried out at the Home Office by Angela Eagle and Keith Bradley before their departure today, the PMOS said the Prime Minister believed that all those who had left Government had played a very valuable role. However, it was a hard fact of political life that changes in Government had to be made from time to time - if only to make room for others in order to give them a chance to make an impact too.
Asked whether the Prime Minister had brought back Mike O’Brien because he felt that he had ’spent enough time in the wilderness’, the PMOS said he did not recognise the terms of the question. Mr O’Brien was someone who the Prime Minister believed had a valuable role to play in Government. That was why he had brought him back today. Bringing someone back was not unprecedented. Asked why Mr O’Brien had been removed from office last time, the PMOS said that different decisions were made at different times.
Asked why the Prime Minister had promoted David Miliband so quickly after only one year as an MP, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister recognised Mr Miliband’s skills which he had demonstrated both before becoming an MP and since, and was firmly of the view that he was the right person to be Minister of State for schools.
Asked why Ben Bradshaw had been demoted, the PMOS said he hadn’t. He would have thought that Parliamentary Secretary at the Privy Council Office - in effect, the Number Two position in the office of the Leader of the House - was a pretty important role.
Asked when the Prime Minister had first started thinking about doing a reshuffle, the PMOS said that as we had indicated yesterday, Mr Byers’ decision to resign had meant that if there was going to be any reshuffle this year, this was the perfect opportunity to carry it out. Pressed as to when the Prime Minister had begun to plan it, the PMOS repeated that the reason for today’s reshuffle was Mr Byers’ decision to resign. Asked when Mr Byers had first told the Prime Minister that he was thinking of leaving the Government, the PMOS said he had told the Prime Minister about his decision on Monday.
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