Brown to reshuffle the pack?

Speculation that the PM is to wield his power of patronage and change a few faces at the Cabinet table leads us to consider why

What factors do Prime Ministers consider when appointing their Cabinet? Traditionally there are said to be three main reasons. First of all, a PM will look to reward loyalty. He/she will seek to surround themselves with colleagues whom they feel will help drive forward their agenda. PMs are restricted, however, in that they must appoint big hitters. Lastly, it is said that PMs will also look for a balance. This could be political/ideological or regional.

Today it has been reported in the Guardian that:

‘A leading Blairite MP who is a close ally of David Miliband is being tipped for promotion to the cabinet in a move that indicates Gordon Brown wants to shore up his leadership by uniting the party after a series of electoral setbacks.

Jim Murphy, the minister for Europe, impressed the prime minister with his handling of the Lisbon treaty during its bumpy passage through the Commons, and is being pencilled in as the next Scottish secretary.

The promotion of a long-standing ally of Tony Blair would show that Brown wants to move on after Miliband prompted speculation about his leadership ambitions when he set out his vision for Britain in a Guardian article this month.

Murphy, 40, has worked closely with Miliband after they were appointed to the Foreign Office by Brown after the resignation of Blair last year.

Though Brown is understood to be in no rush to carry out his long-awaited reshuffle, he will hope that Murphy can be a safe pair of hands to calm nerves in Scotland after Labour’s disastrous performance in the Glasgow East byelection. The MP for East Renfrewshire will be a fresh face for the party as it faces an uphill struggle to hold the normally safe seat of Glenrothes, which borders the prime minister’s seat in Fife, in the forthcoming byelection.’

So it seems that Brown is looking to provide balance in his Cabinet, in order to show that he has not been affected by the potential Miliband insurgency. But it also looks like he is looking to reward good performance, i.e. Murphy looks like a safe pair of hands.

Watch this space.