Minute - Government Reorganization [2000-07-06]

CONFIDENTIAL
(no copies)

From: David Miliband
Date: 6 July 2000

PRIME MINISTER

REORGANISATION YES, RESHUFFLE NO

1. I am afraid I have hardened against personnel shifts:

• Since we want to fight the election on education, we need our best person there; we cannot afford to ‘make do’ in this area; we need DB leading the charge on education, not defending our record on crime; he will make an excellent Crime Czar after the election, when he can have a good run at the issue.
• A reshuffle will detract from our core message for July, from the CSR and from the rollout; we say we are doing the serious things that need doing, not getting caught up in media obsession with personalities. We should stick to that.
• The worst thing would be to do this in the belief it will seem decisive. It will look like a sign of weakness not strength (I cannot recall the last time any reshuffle looked like an act of strength).
• Jack will actually be a radical on courts etc.

2. However, I think you should try and pull off the switch of courts to HO and asylum/immigration to LCD (plus HO gubbins to DCMS etc). This will be fraught: Derry will oppose very hard, on constitutional as well as personal grounds. There is a strong case for bringing in a top policeman as a new Michael Barber figure in the HO. But worth trying.

3. If DB stays, you cannot split DfEE, but I think you should make clear to all concerned, if necessary publicly, that the development of One should be premissed on the creation of a new department.

CONFIDENTIAL