Geoff Hoon revealed on ´óÏó´«Ã½ One that he's off to Downing Street first thing in the morning - and he looked rather pleased about it (watch the interview here).
Ministers never get asked to walk up that famous street in full view of the cameras only to emerge humiliated having been sacked. Hoon was an obvious candidate to be asked to 'make way for younger blood' - but he appears to sense that there may be better news on the way.
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Comments
The Home Office or the ODPM maybe?
Hoon Where?
Basra, hopefully for a long time.
Nick - Mr Hoon has done quite a job as Defence Secretary, but this revelation of the issue of Foam on Herclues C130s is an issue I think has slipped under the radar. To many this doesn't seem like an issue for him to go, but I for one think that its more than plenty for him to lose his job: he's placed troop lives on the line.
Well done nick keep it up and don't let that Dimbleby give you a hard time!
Hoon to Work and Pensions
Hutton to Transport
Darling to the Home Office
Clarke to Leader of the House
More interesting was John Reid's reluctance to entertain the idea that this was an insight into the reshuffle. Finger's crossed Reid is well and truly shafted. At least Hoon is human enough to acknowledge recent headlines are more than a bit of bugger.
On a serious note, why do the councils have elections at different times?
He won't be sacked,Clarke will go and Prescott will go and to remove hoon will make Labour look more unstable,so he will stay and miliburn will move up the ladder as Blair wants him to challenge the Scot.
If it's the Home Office brace yourselves - considering Hoon's record at Defence - for stories of police officers not having the equipment they need to do their jobs properly!
Nice one Nick. Fight our corner!
Well whens the next election so we can vote this Labour Goverment and Let the Torys have a go they can not be any worse then this shambels we have in Goverment
That faulty audio connection seems to come in at just the right moments, no? Three opportune losses of signal so far, either the ´óÏó´«Ã½ needs to work on their technology or Labour needs to come up with a better question evasion strategy!
Dear Nick,
don't you think this reshuffle is a complete farce? After all, it's probably going to be either too little too late and mainly symbolic..
Also, this automatic response might actually be a tactical error.
After all, people respect a politician who resigns because of serious problems on his watch.
Nobody respects a purely political reshuffle, which has nothing to to with the country's interests or problems but only with Blair pretending to react to the bad election result (and trying to steal the headlines..).
Thank you!
Keep up the good work!
Yvette
He did seem to not want to answer when you returned and asked him again though, and Blunkett was question dodging earlier too. It seems whenever a specific answer is needed the politicians can no longer here. How very odd.
You missed an excellent opportunity to use the word smug there Nick.
Or maybe Hoon straight to W&P, Hutton to Transport, Clarke to Leader of the House and somebody else - not Darling - to the HO. Maybe Benn?
I Don't believe Reid's "accurate interpretation" of Nick Browns reaction to the question regarding tony blairs abililty to hold things together. It was a blaten no without saying no, and I think he knows it. But as a labour mp on tv he is always going to try and paint things in the labour camp as all rosey. It's silly to disagree with the fact that labour back benchers have not supported tony blair since 1994, but what he should be asked with how many didn't support him then in the party, compared to how many don't now. The number will surely be different
I think it would be a bad move to have hoon in W&P,But otherwise pretty good,
What is with everyone ganging up on George Osbourne I mean come on he is The Shadow Chancellor!!
No one is happy to be moved to work and pensions. Impossible department. Probably only marginally better than the Home Office, because signs of failure aren't immediently obvious.
Prescott to Leader of the House as Deputy PM
Clarke to the Duchy of Lancaster
Milliband to ODPM
Hoon to Home Office
The Conservatives should have put Ken Clarke or William Hague on here I know Hague was very good on Question Time.
Osbourne does not give the appearance of a really good politician although he probably is.
No one is happy to be moved to work and pensions. Impossible department. Probably only marginally better than the Home Office, because signs of failure aren't immediently obvious.
Hoon's ability to survive just goes to show how out of touch Tony Blair is. Hoon was the least popular Defence Sec with the Armed Forces in living memory. He proved his incompetence time and time again - not least with the fact the he seemed completely out of the loop over the David Kelly issue. Just as with Margaret Hodge, Blair can be seen to desperately barricade himself in with his supporters, regardless of their ability to do their job.
The thought of having the tories back in power gives me almost as much disgust as seeing the BNP winning seats.
If Tony Blair steps down, do Labour have to have an internal election for a new leader? AND whilst thats happening does the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr John Prestcott, I believe, take over????? Or does Tony Blair get to name his successor?