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1999 British cabinet reshuffle

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Tony Blair

On 27 July 1999, British Prime Minister Tony Blair held his first major cabinet reshuffle of his government.[1]

Background

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It was considered that Health secretary Frank Dobson would stand in the 2000 London mayoral election against Labour-turned-Independent Ken Livingstone.[2] But he denied accusations of him being moved out of government.[3]

Mo Mowlam expected to be replaced as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by Peter Mandelson but this did not happen until October 1999.[4] The reshuffle was anticipated as being the cull of Old Labour and the promotion of Blairites from the 1997 general election.[5] It was reported that Alastair Campbell, Blair's Press Secretary, had influence over changes at Cabinet level.[6]

The reshuffle was delayed by a week following Labour's unexpected success in the 1999 Eddisbury by-election.[7]

Cabinet-level changes

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Ivor Richard, Harriet Harman, David Clark and Gavin Strang left the cabinet

The President of the Board of Trade ceased to be a title used by the Trade Secretary

Junior ministerial changes

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Colour key
  •      Promoted[note 1]
  •      Left the government
Minister Position before reshuffle Position after reshuffle
Peter Kilfoyle Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence
Ian McCartney Minister of State for Competitiveness
Barbara Roche Financial Secretary to the Treasury Minister of State for Asylum and Immigration
Stephen Timms Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Tony Lloyd Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Backbench MP
John Battle Minister of State for Trade and Industry Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Brian Wilson Minister of State for Scotland Minister of State for Trade and Industry
Joyce Quin Minister of State for Europe Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Geoff Hoon Minister of State for Africa Minister of State for Europe
Peter Hain Minister of State for Africa
Gareth Williams Minister of State for Prisons
Charles Clarke Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Employment Minister of State for Prisons
Kate Hoey Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs Minister for Sport
Tony Banks Minister for Sport Backbench MP
Steve Bassam Backbench MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs
George Howarth Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Prisons, Drugs & Elections Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Helen Liddell Minister of State for Transport Minister of State for Trade and Industry
Gus Macdonald Minister of State for Transport
Hilary Armstrong Minister of State for Housing and Planning
Nick Raynsford Minister for London
Richard Caborn Minister of State for the Regions Minister of State for Trade
Keith Hill Assistant Whip
Alan Meale Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy, Environment & the Regions Backbench MP
Beverley Hughes Backbench MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions
Jeff Rooker Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister of State for Pensions
Stephen Timms Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Social Security Minister of State for Pensions
Bernard Donoughue Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Farming and the Food Industry Backbench MP
Helene Hayman Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Farming and the Food Industry
Doug Henderson Minister of State for the Armed Forces
John Spellar Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence Minister of State for the Armed Forces
John Gilbert Minister of State for Defence Procurement Backbench MP
Elizabeth Symons Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Minister of State for Defence Procurement
George Mudie Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment Backbench MP
Jacqui Smith Backbench MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment
Michael Wills Backbench MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Employment
Malcolm Wicks Backbench MP Minister for Lifelong Learning in the Department for Education and Employment
Gisela Stuart Backbench MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health
Alan Johnson Backbench MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Small Firms, Trade & Industry
Keith Vaz Parliamentary Under Secretary of State to the Lord Chancellors Department Minister for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
David Lock Backbench MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Lord Chancellors Department
John Sewel Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland Backbench MP
Calum MacDonald Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland Backbench MP
Peter Hain Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales Minister of State for Africa, the Middle East and South Asia
Jon Owen Jones Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales
David Hanson Assistant Whip Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales
Gerry Sutcliffe Backbench MP Assistant Whip
Philip Hunt Lord-in-waiting Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health
Willy Bach Backbench MP (given peerage on day of reshuffle) Lord-in-waiting
  1. ^ According to the ministerial pay scale:

Reception

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The reshuffle was described as "problematic".[9] Journalist Anne Perkins wrote in favour of scrapping cabinet reshuffles.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "The government team". The Guardian. 1999-07-30. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  2. ^ Watt, Nicholas (1999-07-05). "Blair will order Dobson to block Livingstone". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  3. ^ MacAskill, Ewen (1999-07-10). "Dobson shakes cabinet truce". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  4. ^ Watt, Nicholas (1999-07-05). "Mowlam expects Blair to move her in reshuffle". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  5. ^ Wintour, Patrick; McSmith, Andy (1999-07-25). "Purge of Labour's old faithful to make way for class of 97 in Cabinet". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  6. ^ "Smell of fear in Whitehall as reshuffle fever reaches a peak". The Guardian. 1999-07-25. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  7. ^ Ward, Lucy (1999-07-17). "Mowlam key figure in reshuffle". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  8. ^ MacAskill, Ewen (1999-07-26). "Simon set to go in Blair reshuffle". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  9. ^ "Monitor: All the News of the World: The Sundays give their views on who should be moved in the coming Cabinet reshuffle". The Independent. 1999-07-25. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  10. ^ Perkins, Anne (1999-07-27). "It's time to scrap these reshuffles". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-12.