Gordon's Cabinet

Some interesting speculation today from Tim Hames about who Gordon Brown will appoint to his Cabinet, assuming of course he emerges victorious over uber-Blairite challenger Alan Milburn.

Hames's ingenious suggestion is that Brown should appoint people he doesn't really get on with to the main offices of state in order to demonstrate that he is not the control freak everyone thinks he is.

Hence in Tim's fantasy line-up, Jack Straw gets to be Chancellor and John Reid Foreign Secretary, while Charles Clarke hangs onto the Home Office.

It might be good politics on Brown's part - but surely somewhat implausible in view of the Brownite - Blairite tensions and what will be Brown's understandable desire to put his own stamp on Government.

I do however agree with Hames that Brown will not make the mistake of making his closest ally, Alistair Darling, Chancellor in that it is important for the markets to know that the Chancellor is his own man. Or woman...

Here, for the record - and also because it's a bit of fun - is what I reckon Prime Minister Gordy might do:

Prime Minister: Gordon Brown
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Secretary: Hilary Benn
Chancellor of the Exchequer: Patricia Hewitt
Foreign Secretary: Alistair Darling
Leader of the House of Commons: Charles Clarke
Constitutional Affairs Secretary: Peter Hain
Lord Chancellor: Baroness (Harriet) Harman
Party Chairman: Alan Johnson
Education Secretary: David Miliband
Health Secretary: Yvette Cooper
Defence Secretary: John Reid
Work and Pensions Secretary: Ruth Kelly
Environment Secretary: Stephen Timms
Transport Secretary: Des Browne
Trade and Industry Secretary: Douglas Alexander
Culture Secretary: Dawn Primarolo
Leader of the Lords: Lord Kinnock
Communities and Local Government Secretary: Hazel Blears
International Development Secretary: John Denham
Chief Secretary to the Treasury: John Healey
Chief Whip: Nick Brown

I'm not going to go through each choice one-by-one explaining my rationale but I for one reckon this line-up is considerably more dynamic than the existing one, which I suspect will be Brown's main intention in seeking to maintain continuity while at the same time giving the appearance of a new government.

Of the 11 casualties, seven would be voluntary retirements (Blair, Prescott, Straw, Beckett, Armstrong, McCartney, Amos) while four would be sackings (Falconer, Hoon, Jowell, Hutton.)

Reid would keep his job, both as a unifying gesture to the ultra-Blairites (likewise Miliband, Blears) and because he's simply the best Labour defence secretary available. The return of Denham would be designed to draw a clear line under the Iraq War.

In terms of machinery changes, the Wales and Northern Ireland offices would become part of the DCA (as originally planned by Blair,) while the ODPM would be renamed Local Government and Communities.

The Local Elections: Blair's next big challenge

Will a bad result for Labour in the local elections on May 4 finally do for Tony Blair - or will it merely harden his desire to remain in office so he can go out on a "high?"

I discuss both points of view in this week's Column and accompanying Podcast.

Meanwhile Alan Milburn has admitted he is considering standing against Gordy for the Labour leadership, confirming Paddy Hennessy's original October 2005 story in the Sunday Telegraph.

My view however, like that of Michael White is that he lacks sufficient support in the PLP to mount a genuine challenge and is merely putting his toes in the water to see what sort of response he gets.

Blair-must-go watch update:

Calling for Blair to go now/this year

Ashok Kumar
The Guardian
The Daily Telegraph
The Economist
The New Statesman
Tribune
Polly Toynbee
Matthew Parris
Jonathan Freedland
David Clark
Stephen Pollard
Paul Linford
Bloggerheads
BBC Newsnight poll
Times Populus poll

Predicting Blair will go this year

Nick Assinder
Guido Fawkes
Iain Dale

Privately hoping Blair will go this year

Compass

Calling for Blair to go next year

The Times
Rhodri Morgan

Predicting Blair will go in 2008

Charles Clarke

Prescott holds the key

"Stoical and loyal, he more than anyone embodies the Labour interest. His own legacy now demands that he live up to that reputation by galvanising party opinion behind an orderly leadership transition by the autumn."

So writes David Clark in today's Guardian in a typically well-argued piece about how Blair's refusal to stand down is damaging the Labour Party.

Prescott is the nearest thing the Labour Party has to the Tories' fabled "men in grey suits" and if it is down to anyone to tell Blair the game is up, it is down to him.

Further proof of how Blair has damaged the party at grassroots level can be found in this article, also in the Guardian.

In other developments....the excellent and ironically-titled Backing Blair website is back, this time urging Labour voters to desert the party on May 4 if they want to get rid of the PM (see logo below.)

This is another of Tim Ireland's initiatives, so I'm glad we're now able to stand shoulder to shoulder agaisnt the common enemy (as Guido might put it) following yesterday's minor disagreement over Mazher Mahmood.

Also planning for the post-Blair era is the social democratic pressure group Compass which is organising a conference on Labour's future.

Just check out that pregnant slogan "The future is almost here...."