Premiership of Gordon Brown - The Brown Ministry

The Brown Ministry

Brown appointed his first cabinet in the days following his succession as Prime Minister. David Miliband was appointed as Foreign Secretary while Alistair Darling succeeded Brown as Chancellor. Brown's team also included Jacqui Smith, who became Britain's first female Home Secretary. Jack Straw was appointed to the new role of Justice Secretary. Brown also advocated a "Government of all the talents" in which people who had not previously been members of the Labour Party, but who extertese in specific areas would be appointed as ministers. Consequently five new ministers were appointed, including Sir Ara Darzi, a consultant surgeon who became a health minister in the House of Lords; Sir Digby Jones, the former director general of the CBI, who became minister of state for trade and investment; and Sir Alan West, the former head of the Royal Navy, who became a security minister at the Home Office.