Peter Hoskin

Brown’s Cabinet in full

Who would have thought it?  The expected “minor reshuffle” developed into the one of the most headline-grabbing reshuffles that you’re ever likely to see, and all thanks to Peter Mandelson’s astonishing return to Cabinet.  I’m sure that would have been towards the forefront of Brown’s mind – to wrest the news agenda back from Cameron, and to maybe dull any post-conference bounce for the Tories.  But there’ll be other reasons too: bridge-building with the Blairites and upping the experience-quotient in government among them.  But will it all back-fire for Brown?  Political bridge-building has a tendency to double up as bridge-burning, and in this case the left of the party – the Unions and Brownites among them – will be less than amused.  Of course, they may have been placated with promises that Their Men will soon be filling the top positions – that this reshuffle has given Brown the room to make any change he wants in future – but, even so, I imagine they’d have preferred skipping this pro-Mandelson stage altogether.

Anyway, here’s the full list of Brown’s Cabinet:

Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service
The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP

Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Rt Hon David Miliband MP

Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor
The Rt Hon Jack Straw MP

Secretary of State for the Home Department
The Rt Hon Jacqui Smith MP

Secretary of State for Health
The Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP

Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
The Rt Hon Peter Mandelson

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP

Secretary of State for...

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