Jane Kennedy ruins junior reshuffle
By Alex Stevenson and Ian Dunt
Former environment minister Jane Kennedy’s angry outbursts against the prime minister have ruined the final stages of Gordon Brown’s government reshuffle.
Mr Brown finalised the government shakeup, begun with senior Cabinet posts on Friday, with new appointments at junior ministerial levels hours before his crunch meeting with Labour backbenchers later this evening.
But the process was marred by a scathing attack from Ms Kennedy, who said disastrous European election results were a “rejection” of Mr Brown’s politics.
“I’ve been unhappy for some time about smears against colleagues, about undermining of colleagues and friends, orchestrated by No 10,” she told Sky News.
“It’s a kind of politics that I’ve fought against all my life and I can’t support it.”
Ms Kennedy and Downing Street have different versions of her exit from the government. She claimed to have refused a pledge of loyalty to Mr Brown and that she had resigned from the government.
No 10 insisted media reports that Mr Brown was ringing ministers asking for declarations of personal support were untrue, however.
The prime minister spoke to Ms Kennedy this morning, his spokesman said, and told her “he obviously regretted the fact she had decided to stand down”.
He added: “He did not ask for a pledge of loyalty from her or any other minister.”
The spokesman made clear that Mr Brown habitually rings junior ministers during reshuffles.
Of the main ministerial appointments Angela Smith, Mr Brown’s parliamentary private secretary, has been handed a job in the Cabinet Office.
Sadiq Khan goes to the Department of Transport while Paul Goggins heads to the Northern Ireland office and Mike O’Brien joins Andy Burnham’s team at the Department of Health. All four have been made privy councillors.
As expected, Maria and Angela Eagle have been promoted to the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Work and Pensions respectively.
Gillian Merron becomes a minister of state at the DoH while Dawn Primarolo becomes Ed Balls’ number two at the Department for Children, Schools and Familes.
Immigration minister Phil Woolas, who oversaw the government’s defeat of the Gurkhas, survives to govern another day.
The last stage of the reshuffle came as backbench MP Sally Keeble withdrew her support for the prime minister, saying it was time for him to go.
Mr Brown has, at least, secured the reshuffle before he heads to the Labour meeting tonight. A finalised Cabinet locks at least 100 MPs into supporting him.
