British PM Reshuffles Cabinet

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, June 13, 2003

British PM Reshuffles Cabinet

The British Downing Street announced a substantial cabinet reshuffle Thursday with parliamentary leader John Reed named as the new health secretary.

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The British Downing Street announced a substantial cabinet reshuffle Thursday with parliamentary leader John Reed named as the new health secretary.

Reed, 56, former Labor Party Chair who became Lord President ofthe Council and Leader of the House of Commons during the Iraq war,thus replaced Alan Milburn, who formally resigned Thursday morning.

Reed's post is to be succeeded by Peter Hain, the current Secretary of State for Wales, according to a Downing Street statement.

Meanwhile, Lord Chancellor Lord Irvine of Lairg, 62, retired from government as widely expected, said the statement.

Lord Falconer now is to head a new department of constitutionalaffairs, merging old Wales and Scotland offices and incorporate Lord Irvine's responsibilities.

The end of the post of Lord Chancellor, a title older than thatof prime minister, closes a very long chapter of British history, a BBC report commented.

Hain will also speak on issues relating to Wales but Scottish Secretary Helen Liddell is to leave the government with Transport Secretary Alistair Darling is to represent Scotland at Westminster.

Liddell had asked to retire from government, Blair's spokesman said.

However, the big shock of Thursday's reshuffle was Milburn's resignation, a move that confounded the predictions of all the pundits. Local analysts said no one had predicted such a key modernizer would leave the government.

Milburn told the prime minister that he found it increasingly difficult to be cabinet minister as well as having a young family in the northeastern England.

"It is not a political decision for I support you totally in what you are trying to do -- it is entirely personal," said Milburn in his resignation letter. Milburn is the father of two young boys.

The Conservative immediately condemned Blair's decision to replace the Welsh and Scottish offices with Lord Falconer's new department of constitutional affairs.

"Wales needs direct representations in the Westminster cabinet,under any governing political party, not a diluted attempt to kickWelsh interests on a national level into the long grass", Welsh Tory leader Nick Bourne said in an interview with the Sky News.

Local analysts suggested that generally speaking, Thursday's reshuffle is much more moderate than what media here had predicted.

It is reported the Downing Street may announce new middle ranking appointments Friday.

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