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DWP Gets New Boss
by Ian Neale 29/05/2002 Printer-friendly version of this page
Today Andrew Smith (MP for Oxford East) was appointed Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, as Alistair Darling accepted the poisoned chalice of Transport Secretary in the wake of Stephen Byers' resignation. Mr Smith, until today Chief Secretary to the Treasury, was Shadow Secretary of State for Transport from 1996-97, but No. 10 evidently preferred a more experienced cabinet minister to take on Transport.
Although Minister for Employment, Welfare to Work and Equal Opportunities from 1997-99, in fact Mr Smith has spent about half his 15 years in Parliament as a Treasury Minister or Shadow Minister. He should thus be well-versed in Treasury thinking, and is known as a strong supporter of Gordon Brown.
In view of the desirability of a coordinated Government response to the forthcoming Reports from Alan Pickering, Ron Sandler and the Inland Revenue's internal simplification review, perhaps Mr Smith's Treasury background was seen as particularly appropriate for the incoming Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
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