| SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT |

| THE CONSTITUTION UNIT NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 33 | MAY 2006 | MONITOR STOP PRESS: THE CABINET RESHUFFLE

The main text of the Monitor went to him in this role, and a small DCA team of State for Devolution’. This means there press before the Cabinet reshuffle on are supporting Sir Hayden Phillips’ has to be a Cabinet-level Secretary of 5 May. This had a number of implications review of party funding. To further State for Scotland, who combines the for some of the key players responsible strengthen his role, Jack Straw will post with another portfolio. That portfolio for constitutional matters. In particular also chair the Constitutional Affairs and has to be a domestic one, but not one of Legislative Programme Committees of the most demanding ones (so the Home • Jack Straw leaves the Foreign Cabinet, previously chaired by John Office is probably out). This increasingly Office to become Leader of the Prescott. Straw is a strong supporter of narrows the number of portfolios House of Commons, where he an all-appointed House of Lords, as was available, and (at least under Labour) will also lead on Lords reform and John Prescott. He remains fourth in the means that a Scottish MP has to party funding Cabinet rank order, after Blair, Prescott occupy one of them. and Brown. • John Prescott remains deputy John Reid’s appointment to the Home Prime Minister, and will chair Ruth Kelly’s new Department of Office caused some discussion in the cabinet committees, but loses his Communities and Local Government press of whether it was appropriate departmental responsibilities finally resolves the conundrum of who for a Scotsman to be appointed to a is to be the sponsor department for predominantly ‘English’ department. • Ruth Kelly becomes head of the the new Commission for Equality and But with its responsibilities for new Department for Communities Human Rights (CEHR), which goes immigration and citizenship, and for and Local Government (DCLG), live in 2007. DCLG is an expanded anti-terrorism the Home Office has the successor department to department with a new remit to promote extensive UK-wide functions in addition ODPM community cohesion and equality, as well to its responsibilities for the criminal as ODPM’s responsibilities for housing, justice system and prisons in • Douglas Alexander becomes urban regeneration, planning, and England and Wales. Secretary of State for Scotland, regional and local government. It takes as well as Transport, succeeding in the communities and civic renewal The remit of the Constitutional Affairs Alistair Darling functions of the Home Office, and brings Committee now chaired by Jack Straw together responsibility for equality policy, includes devolution, as the Devolution • John Reid becomes Home including policy on race, faith, gender Policy committee was wound up in Secretary, following the removal of and sexual orientation. The Women 2005. This means that there are now Charles Clarke. and Equality Unit moves to DCLG from five Cabinet ministers (Falconer, Hain, DTI, and DCLG is to be the sponsor Alexander, Kelly and now Jack Straw) Remaining in their previous department for the new CEHR. with an interest in devolution. The ‘centre’ posts are of government concerned with devolution Peter Hain has two substantial items remains badly fragmented. Lord Falconer • Lord Falconer, who remains of business under way - the attempt remains responsible for overall strategy Secretary of State for to revive the devolved institutions in on devolution, but the policy lead remains Constitutional Affairs, and Northern Ireland, with a deadline of 24 with the territorial secretaries of state. Lord Chancellor November; and the new Government of Wales Bill which has passed the • Peter Hain, who remains Secretary Commons and is presently before the of State for Northern Ireland, and House of Lords. Both these should be for Wales. completed by the late autumn, and the comments of the Prime Minister’s Jack Straw will thus play a key role in spokesman implied that a move might The Constitution Unit two of the most live areas of be on the cards after that. UCL Department of Political Science constitutional policy in the remainder of Director: Professor Robert Hazell Blair’s premiership, reform of the House Douglas Alexander’s appointment www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit of Lords and state funding of political illustrates a problem of Cabinet-making Email: [email protected] parties. Staff from the Constitution forced on the Prime Minister by his Phone: +44 (0) 20 7679 4977 Directorate of the DCA will support decision not to have a single ‘Secretary Fax: +44 (0) 20 7679 4978