Sportandnews

Gordon Brown has appointed Jacqui Smith as Britain’s first female home secretary in a huge Cabinet overhaul.

 jacqui smith takes over at the home office

Alistair Darling becomes chancellor, David Miliband foreign secretary, Alan Johnson health secretary and Peter Hain work and pensions.

Mr Brown’s closest political ally Ed Balls will be the newly-created schools and children secretary.

Ruth Kelly goes to transport, Jack Straw is the new justice secretary and Hilary Benn moves to environment.

The newly-appointed ministers are gathering in 10 Downing Street for the first Cabinet meeting of Mr Brown’s premiership.

OUR NEW CABINET Prime minister: Gordon Brown Chancellor: Alistair Darling Foreign Secretary: David Miliband Home Secretary: Jacqui Smith Health: Alan Johnson Schools and children: Ed Balls Innovation, universities and skills: John Denham Justice: Jack Straw Commons leader: Harriet Harman Defence and Scotland: Des Browne Int Development: Douglas Alexander Wales/Work and Pensions: Peter Hain Northern Ireland: Shaun Woodward Chief secretary to the Treasury: Andy Burnham Cabinet office minister/Duchy of Lancaster: Ed Miliband Culture: James Purnell Olympics: Tessa Jowell Transport: Ruth Kelly Lords leader: Baroness Ashton Attorney General: Baroness Scotland Environment: Hilary Benn Chief Whip: Geoff Hoon Business and enterprise: John Hutton Housing minister (attending Cabinet when needed): Yvette Cooper Communities: Hazel Blears Children and youth justice: Beverley Hughes Africa, Asia and UN: Lord Malloch Brown

There are 11 members of the old Cabinet – including Tony Blair and John Prescott – who are not in Mr Brown’s first administration.

Mr Brown has created three new departments: the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

The Department for Trade and Industry has been abolished, along with the Department for Education and Skills which has been split into two.

New Cabinet faces include James Purnell, who takes over as  the culture secretary from Tessa Jowell and Andy Burnham, who becomes chief secretary to the Treasury.

David Miliband, who at 41 becomes the youngest foreign secretary since David Owen in 1977, said he felt “tremendously honoured”.

He pledged a “diplomacy that is patient as well as purposeful, which listens as well as leads”.

Jacqui Smith, formerly Labour’s chief whip, is perhaps the biggest surprise in the new line-up.

BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson said she was highly regarded by Brownites.

But he said she faced a tough job even with a slimmed down Home Office.

Prisons and other functions now come under the control of new Justice Secretary Jack Straw, who also becomes the first MP to take up the post of Lord Chancellor.

‘Heavyweights’ departing

Douglas Alexander, who was named as Labour’s general election coordinator at the weekend, takes over at the department for international development, which is expected to be given an enhanced role under Mr Brown.

Harriet Harman, who was elected deputy leader of the Labour Party, and will be taking over as party chairman, becomes leader of the House of Commons.

Hazel Blears, who was among the five MPs to lose out to Ms Harman in the deputy race, becomes communities secretary.

John Hutton, who has been replaced as work and pensions secretary by Peter Hain, will become business and industry secretary.

LEAVING CABINET John Reid Margaret Beckett Patricia Hewitt Lord Goldsmith Hilary Armstrong Valerie Amos

Shaun Woodward, best known for defecting from the Conservatives to Labour in 1999, will replace Mr Hain as Northern Ireland Secretary – the job turned down by Lib Dem peer Paddy Ashdown.

Former defence secretary Geoff Hoon is the new Labour Party chief whip.

Yvette Cooper, Ed Balls’ wife, becomes housing minister, attending Cabinet when needed.

Also attending Cabinet will be Tessa Jowell, who becomes Olympics minister, Attorney General Baroness Scotland and Lords Chief Whip Lord Grocott.

Former United Nations deputy secretary-general, Sir Mark Malloch Brown, has been granted a peerage in order to take up the post of minister for Africa, Asia and the UN.

He will not have Cabinet rank but will attend Cabinet meetings.

Several heavyweight figures in predecessor Tony Blair’s Cabinet are going.

John Reid is retiring as home secretary, Margaret Beckett is leaving the role of foreign secretary and Baroness Amos is no longer to be leader of the House of Lords.

Patricia Hewitt, who has elderly parents in Australia, said she was quitting as health secretary, and resigning from the government, for “personal reasons”.

Former Labour chairman and consumer affairs minister Ian McCartney turned down the offer of a government job, telling Mr Brown it was time for some “fresh faces”.

Mid-East envoy

It is thought unlikely that a replacement will be announced for outgoing Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

Before entering 10 Downing Street on Wednesday, the new prime minister said: “I will try my utmost. This is my promise to all of the people of Britain. And now let the work of change begin.”

After stepping down as prime minister, Mr Blair also quit as MP for Sedgefield to become a Middle East peace envoy on behalf of the EU, US, UN and Russia.

This will prompt a by-election, expected to take place in mid-July.