Portrait of the Week – 14 May 2005

Labour won a majority of 67 in the general election, securing 356 seats (of the 645 contested), 47 down, with 9,556,183 votes, 35.2 per cent of the total; the Conservatives won 197 seats, 33 up, with 8,772,598 votes, 32.3 per cent of the total; the Liberal Democrats won 62 seats, 11 up, with 5,982,045 votes, 22 per cent. The United Kingdom turnout was 61.3 per cent and the swing from Labour to Conservative was 3 per cent. In England more people voted Conservative than for Labour. Mr Michael Howard said he would resign as leader of the Conservative party ‘sooner rather than later’ leaving by Christmas after a new leader was elected by new rules. Among his shadow reshuffles, he chose Mr George Osborne, 33, as shadow Chancellor. Mr David Trimble, the leader of the Ulster Unionists, lost his seat; only one Ulster Unionist MP was left, but the Democratic Unionists won nine seats and Sinn Fein five. Mr George Galloway won a seat for the Respect party, beating Miss Oona King, the Labour candidate, at Bethnal Green and Bow. An independent won at Blaenau Gwent in protest at Labour’s attempt to impose an all-woman shortlist of candidates. Mr Tony Blair, who had announced he would step down as Prime Minister before the next election, immediately found himself thwarted in making the Cabinet changes he had intended, but he succeeded in bringing back the shamed Mr David Blunkett as Work and Pensions Secretary; he moved Miss Patricia Hewitt from Trade and Industry to Health; Mr John Reid from Health to Defence; Mr Geoff Hoon from Defence to Leader of the House; Mr Peter Hain from Leader of the House to Northern Ireland; Mr David Miliband joined the Cabinet as a minister for Communities and Local Government; Mr John Prescott sat solidly where he was, as Deputy Prime Minister with a fat and immobile portfolio.