1999 British cabinet reshuffle
On 27 July 1999, British Prime Minister Tony Blair held his first major cabinet reshuffle of his government.[1]
Background
It was considered that Health secretary Frank Dobson would stand in the 2000 London mayoral election against Labour-turned-Independent Ken Livingstone.[2] But he denied accusations of him being moved out of government.[3]
Old Labour and the promotion of Blairites from the 1997 general election.[5] It was reported that Alastair Campbell, Blair's Press Secretary, had influence over changes at Cabinet level.[6]
The reshuffle was delayed by a week following Labour's unexpected success in the 1999 Eddisbury by-election.[7]
Cabinet-level changes
- Margaret Beckett becomes Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
- The Baroness Jay of Paddington becomes Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal, Leader of the House of Lords and Minister for Women
- Stephen Byers becomes Chief Secretary to the Treasury
- Ann Taylor becomes Chief Whip, which became a cabinet position
- Jack Cunningham becomes Cabinet Office Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
- Nick Brown becomes Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
- Alistair Darling becomes Secretary of State for Social Security
- Paul Murphy promoted to Secretary of State for Wales from Minister of State for Northern Ireland
- Trade and Industry Secretary
- John Reid becomes Transport Minister, which is no longer a cabinet position (although Reid will continue attending cabinet meetings)
- David Simon, Baron Simon of Highbury left as the trade minister responsible for preparing Britain joining the euro.[8]
Ivor Richard, Harriet Harman, David Clark and Gavin Strang left the cabinet
The President of the Board of Trade ceased to be a title used by the Trade Secretary
Junior ministerial changes
| Colour key |
|---|
|
| Minister | Position before reshuffle | Position after reshuffle | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Kilfoyle |
|
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence | |
.jpg)
|
Ian McCartney | Minister of State for Competitiveness |
|
| Barbara Roche | Financial Secretary to the Treasury | Minister of State for Asylum and Immigration
| |
| Stephen Timms | Financial Secretary to the Treasury | ||
|
Tony Lloyd | Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
|
Backbench MP |
|
John Battle | Minister of State for Trade and Industry | Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
|
| Brian Wilson | Minister of State for Scotland
|
Minister of State for Trade and Industry | |
|
Joyce Quin | Minister of State for Europe | Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |
|
Geoff Hoon | Minister of State for Africa
|
Minister of State for Europe |
|
Peter Hain | Minister of State for Africa
| |
| Gareth Williams | Minister of State for Prisons
|
||
.jpg)
|
Charles Clarke | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Employment
|
Minister of State for Prisons
|
|
Kate Hoey | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs
|
Minister for Sport
|
| Tony Banks | Minister for Sport
|
Backbench MP | |
|
Steve Bassam | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs
|
|
George Howarth | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Prisons, Drugs & Elections | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland |
|
Helen Liddell | Minister of State for Transport | Minister of State for Trade and Industry |
| Gus Macdonald | Minister of State for Transport | ||
|
Hilary Armstrong | Minister of State for Housing and Planning | |
.jpg)
|
Nick Raynsford | Minister for London | |
|
Richard Caborn | Minister of State for the Regions | Minister of State for Trade
|
|
Keith Hill | Assistant Whip | |
| Alan Meale | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy, Environment & the Regions | Backbench MP | |
|
Beverley Hughes | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions
|
|
Jeff Rooker | Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food | Minister of State for Pensions
|
|
Stephen Timms | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Social Security | Minister of State for Pensions |
|
Bernard Donoughue | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Farming and the Food Industry | Backbench MP |
|
Helene Hayman | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health
|
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Farming and the Food Industry |
| Doug Henderson | Minister of State for the Armed Forces | ||
|
John Spellar | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence | Minister of State for the Armed Forces |
| John Gilbert | Minister of State for Defence Procurement | Backbench MP | |
|
Elizabeth Symons | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
|
Minister of State for Defence Procurement |
| George Mudie | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment | Backbench MP | |
|
Jacqui Smith | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment |
|
Michael Wills | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Employment
|
|
Malcolm Wicks | Backbench MP | Minister for Lifelong Learning in the Department for Education and Employment
|
|
Gisela Stuart | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health
|
|
Alan Johnson | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Small Firms, Trade & Industry |
|
Keith Vaz | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State to the Lord Chancellors Department
|
Minister for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs |
| David Lock | Backbench MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Lord Chancellors Department
| |
| John Sewel | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
|
Backbench MP | |
| Calum MacDonald | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland
|
Backbench MP | |
|
|
Peter Hain | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales | Minister of State for Africa, the Middle East and South Asia |
| Jon Owen Jones | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales | ||
|
David Hanson | Assistant Whip | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales |
|
Gerry Sutcliffe | Backbench MP | Assistant Whip |
|
Philip Hunt | Lord-in-waiting | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health |
|
Willy Bach | Backbench MP (given peerage on day of reshuffle) | Lord-in-waiting |
Reception
The reshuffle was described as "problematic".[9] Journalist Anne Perkins wrote in favour of scrapping cabinet reshuffles.[10]
References
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
- ^ "Monitor: All the News of the World: The Sundays give their views on who should be moved in the coming Cabinet reshuffle". The Independent. 1999-07-25. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
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