New Broom

The new Gordon Brown cabinet met for the first time yesterday, almost unrecognisable from the one it replaced. The only minister to stay in the same post is Defence Secretary Des Browne, although others stay on in different roles. The key figures in the new line-up are as follows:

Alistair Darling has a rather unenviable task, stepping into the shoes vacated by his master to become Chancellor of the Exchequer. This is a major promotion for someone who has been a cabinet stalwart yet never in the front line. The 53-year-old is a rather low-key politician, respected as a competent technocrat. He has served since Labour came to power in 1997, passing through a range of roles, culminating in trade and industry secretary. He inherits the economy at a difficult time, with interest rates rising and inflationary concerns. Darling is no stranger to the Treasury, having started his cabinet career as chief secretary to that department. As such, he was Brown's right-hand man and clearly impressed. The other portfolios he has held are social security, work and pensions, transport, and Scotland. He was born in London, but went to school and university in Scotland. He now represents Edinburgh South-West as an MP.

David Miliband was seen as Brown's biggest potential rival for the Labour leadership, but in the end the Blairite decided not to run. He is rewarded with the Foreign Office, a major promotion from the environment portfolio. The fresh-faced 41-year-old has long been seen as a high-flier; bright, eloquent and driven. Miliband was initially an adviser to Blair, becoming an MP in 2001 and entering the cabinet in 2005. His father, Ralph, was a prominent Marxist political theorist, and his brother, Ed, is now in the cabinet too (see below). David Miliband went to school in London before studying at Oxford and MIT (in the United States), joining Blair's policy unit in 1994. His first cabinet portfolio was communities and local government.

Jacqui Smith has received the biggest promotion of all in the new cabinet, to the key post of home secretary from that of chief whip. She is the first woman to occupy this role, is comparatively young at 44, and only entered parliament 10 years ago. Once an economics teacher, she got to know Brown when she spent two years on the Treasury select committee. She was then promoted to become a parliamentary under-secretary of state before becoming a junior minister for health, trade and industry, and finally schools.

Other notable appointments include David Miliband's younger brother Ed, who becomes cabinet office minister, making them the first brothers to serve together since 1924. Brown's long-time trusted adviser, Ed Balls, joins the cabinet as secretary of state for the overhauled Department of Children, Schools and Families. Continuing the family theme, his wife, Yvette Cooper, is the new housing minister. Other faces new to the cabinet include Culture Secretary James Purnell, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Andy Burnham, and John Denham. The latter resigned from government over the Iraq war, but now returns to head up the new Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. This includes elements of the now-defunct Department of Trade and Industry. John Hutton picks up some of the other pieces in a new business and industry department. The number of women in the cabinet has fallen from eight to five, while the average age has dropped from 54 to 49.

Reaching Out

What has also been notable about Brown's appointments is his desire to bring in individuals from outside of the Labour Party. He initially approached former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown to become Northern Ireland secretary (an offer that was turned down), but others have now accepted offers. Sir Digby Jones, formerly head of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), is set to become minister of trade and investment, while Liberal Democrat stalwart Dame Shirley Williams will serve as an adviser on nuclear proliferation. Former United Nations (UN) official Sir Mark Malloch-Brown has agreed to serve as minister for Africa, Asia and the UN. Those without peerages already will be granted them. Brown is clearly keen to build bridges with businesses that were irked by his regulatory and tax policies as chancellor. A new "business council for Britain" will include many of the best-known corporate faces.

Outlook and Implications

The first day of Gordon Brown's premiership has received generally favourable reviews from the media. The new appointees are seen as competent and relatively low-key, while efforts to reach out beyond Labour have been applauded. The honeymoon is not lasting long, however. Already, Brown has had to offer condolences to the families of three soldiers killed in Iraq, and news is coming in this morning of a car bomb defused in central London. There is the first national postal strike since 1996 under way, and new Justice Minister Jack Straw is facing criticism over the decision to release thousands of criminals early to ease prison overcrowding. Some commentators wonder whether Brown has the kind of skills needed to switch between the ever-changing priorities as prime minister, always striking the right note in interviews and speeches. Whether or not he does will become clear very soon.