Straw and Clarke step down as Blair swings the axe
Straw and Clarke step down as Blair swings the axe
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Friday, 05, May 2006 05:55
Charles Clarke and Jack Straw have both lost their jobs as part of a ruthless Cabinet reshuffle by Tony Blair following a night of disappointing local election results for Labour.
Political observers had expected the prime minister to ring the changes after a difficult few weeks and in the wake of losing more than 250 councillors in yesterday's local elections.
But few could have predicted quite the extent to which Mr Blair would go, with the home secretary and foreign secretary among a number of high-profile casualties.
Mr Clarke has confirmed that he will return to the backbenches after being sacked as home secretary, while Mr Straw is to relinquish his position as foreign secretary to become the new leader of the Commons.
There are also major changes afoot at the Department for Education and Skills, with Ruth Kelly being ushered out of her position as education secretary to be replaced by trade and industry secretary Alan Johnson.
Margaret Beckett moves from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to become Britain's first female foreign secretary in place of Mr Straw and the current leader of the Commons, Geoff Hoon, becomes the new Europe minister.
Deputy prime minister John Prescott retains his position but loses his departmental portfolio after he was embroiled in a sex scandal and Ms Kelly will now take over some of his department's local government responsibilities.
Current defence secretary John Reid arguably gains most from the day's tumultuous events, stepping up to take over from Mr Clarke at the Home Office, while chief secretary to the Treasury Des Browne takes over his defence brief.
Douglas Alexander has been promoted to the role of transport secretary, replacing Alistair Darling, while he also takes on the brief of secretary of state for Scotland.
Culture secretary Tessa Jowell retains her position after surviving fraud allegations made against her husband, from whom she has since separated.
And Mr Blair has refused to buckle under pressure from health unions, resisting the temptation to replace Patricia Hewitt after she was heckled at two annual conferences last month by delegates disenchanted at the current financial crisis in the NHS.
Schools minister Jacqui Smith is to take on the party chief whip role, replacing Hilary Armstrong after she was blamed by many for the government's recent humiliating parliamentary defeats.
Home Office minister Hazel Blears becomes Labour party chairwoman, replacing Ian McCartney who has chaired the party since 2003.
David Miliband has also received a significant promotion from his local government minister role and will now take over as environment secretary.
Amid all the changes Peter Hain, John Hutton and Hilary Benn will perhaps be relieved to have kept their jobs, staying on as Northern Ireland and Welsh secretary, work and pensions secretary and international development secretary respectively.
Gordon Brown, who earlier told the Today programme that the reshuffle was Mr Blair's idea, continues as chancellor.