Britain's Brown names new cabinet
Friday, June 29, 2007
NEW British Prime Minister Gordon Brown unveiled his senior ministerial team yesterday, a day after taking power vowing change after the end of Tony Blair's decade in power.
He immediately held the first meeting with his new cabinet, including a loyal and trusted ally as finance minister and the youngest foreign secretary for 30 years.
Alistair Darling, 53, succeeds Brown as chancellor of the exchequer, while David Miliband, 41, replaces Margaret Beckett as foreign secretary. He is the youngest person to hold the post since David Owen in 1977.
Miliband, a "Blairite" tipped as a future Labour Party leader, said he was "tremendously honoured and absolutely delighted" to be appointed and pledged to bring leadership and be "patient as well as purposeful".
Brown's accent on "change" is widely seen as an attempt to draw a line under what he calls "celebrity politics," but also to distance himself from Blair over Iraq, which has tainted Britain's image abroad.
"I believe that the (Foreign Office) is a unique global asset for Britain and I want to ensure it is deployed to maximum effect to help build the better Britain and the better world" promised by Brown, said Miliband.
Last Wednesday Brown, who has notoriously difficult relations with Blair, pledged to lead "a new government with new priorities" that would be a force for change in Britain.
As expected he packed his senior team with his supporters, in an effort to restyle the government in his image and break with the Blair era.
As well as Darling, he kept Des Browne on as defence secretary and transferred his former speechwriter Douglas Alexander from transport to be international development secretary.
Another Brown cheerleader, Harriet Harman, who was elected deputy leader of Brown's Labour Party and made party chairwoman, moves to be leader of the lower House of Commons.AFP
He immediately held the first meeting with his new cabinet, including a loyal and trusted ally as finance minister and the youngest foreign secretary for 30 years.
Alistair Darling, 53, succeeds Brown as chancellor of the exchequer, while David Miliband, 41, replaces Margaret Beckett as foreign secretary. He is the youngest person to hold the post since David Owen in 1977.
Miliband, a "Blairite" tipped as a future Labour Party leader, said he was "tremendously honoured and absolutely delighted" to be appointed and pledged to bring leadership and be "patient as well as purposeful".
Brown's accent on "change" is widely seen as an attempt to draw a line under what he calls "celebrity politics," but also to distance himself from Blair over Iraq, which has tainted Britain's image abroad.
"I believe that the (Foreign Office) is a unique global asset for Britain and I want to ensure it is deployed to maximum effect to help build the better Britain and the better world" promised by Brown, said Miliband.
Last Wednesday Brown, who has notoriously difficult relations with Blair, pledged to lead "a new government with new priorities" that would be a force for change in Britain.
As expected he packed his senior team with his supporters, in an effort to restyle the government in his image and break with the Blair era.
As well as Darling, he kept Des Browne on as defence secretary and transferred his former speechwriter Douglas Alexander from transport to be international development secretary.
Another Brown cheerleader, Harriet Harman, who was elected deputy leader of Brown's Labour Party and made party chairwoman, moves to be leader of the lower House of Commons.AFP
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