All change beneath Peter Mandelson
Published : June 12, 2009
Having survived the worst poll drubbing in living memory and a spectacularly muffed coup attempt, the Prime Minister this week reshuffled his cabinet. Both of the Ministers primarily responsible for the economy, the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Business and Enterprise, were widely rumoured to be changing jobs; Alastair Darling was said to be on the way down and Lord Mandelson on the way up. In the end neither moved. While Darling can be content to have seen off a widely mooted attempt to replace him with the PM’s favourite, Ed Balls, Mandelson is widely seen as the big winner from the process. His Department has been massively expanded to include responsibility for science, universities, colleges and innovation – fruits of the abolition of DIUS, the not greatly lamented offshoot of the old Department for Education.
Lord Mandelson’s Department will have no fewer than ten Junior Ministers, a record. He has also acquired not one but two additional titles; First Secretary of State and Lord President of the Council. Its all rather reminiscent of Michael Heseltine who as well as becoming First Secretary of State also resurrected the title of President of the Board of Trade. It didn’t do him, or his Government, much good at the polls.
The new Minister with responsibility for manufacturing is Ian Lucas MP, who sits for Wrexham. Lucas is an ex-whip with a legal background. Although he clearly already has a constituency interest in the issue, he’s been lobbying hard for support for Vauxhall at Ellesmere Port, it is disappointing that in difficult times like these Government chops and changes its business facing members so much. Baroness Vadera is retaining responsibility for competitiveness and small business policy. Ian Pearson MP, who previously held the post ‘part time’ has relinquished it to concentrate on his role as Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
Contact
Paul O'Donnell
Email : podonnell@mta.org.uk
Telephone : 020 7298 6409
